Who Dares, Wins
by Fox Sannin's Concept Corner
Summary: She was the perfect soldier. Smart, strong, skilled, deadly and charismatic were just a few of the words you could use to discribe her. This is her story. A chronicle of the life of the greatest leader Konoha has ever known: Uzumaki Naruko. FemNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, not me.

**This is a story that I thought up while playing Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4. While playing, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the character of the Boss, which if I may say is quite possibly one of the **_**most**_** badass characters in video game history considering her skill, her back story and everything that comes about as a result of her actions and philosophies. I am going to base my Naruko on her and try to make this the most in depth/awesome story I can. I will also make it the most believable I can.**

**Read on and see what I mean.**

**CHAPTER 1**

If you ask anyone in Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, they would have told you immediately and without hesitation that Uzumaki Naruko was, without a doubt one very strong child.

Of course, they would say this with a frown or an outright sneer at the mention of the girl's name but the fact remained that no one could deny that Uzumaki Naruko was strong. Now, when someone hears this, especially in a ninja village, they start to assume that this Naruko girl is a talented Genin or Chuunin. They would assume that she had been taken under the wing of a ninja of some renown or (And this is a secret mind you) that she received help from the demonic entity sealed within her chakra system. Whatever the background, they would assume that Uzumaki Naruko was a great up and coming ninja, probably with amazing chakra control, a horde of jutsu at her disposal, proficiency with at least a dozen different weapons and maybe even a talent for seals. They would probably picture her as the type that would capture a room the second she entered it, gave impassioned speeches to rouse the spirit and gave off an aura that made it almost impossible to dislike her when you got to know her.

This could not have been farther from the truth.

Naruko wasn't a Genin or Chuunin. Hell, she wasn't even in the academy and hadn't stepped foot inside the building once in her life. She had never spoke to any ninja of renown who might have been impressed with her enough to consider training her officially and had never met that which she contained nor did she know of it's existence. She held no particular desire to become a ninja and had never utilized her chakra in her life. She had never held a jutsu scroll or ninja weapon before, had no clue about seals whatsoever and she sure as hell never captured the attention of a room or gave off any such warm aura that made you fall in love with her within a few moments of meeting her.

Oh, Naruko was indeed strong. But she was none of these other things.

To even begin to understand the enigma that is Uzumaki Naruko, one would first have to understand her past.

Naruko was born in Konoha General Hospital, in room 331, just after 7 p.m. on October 10th 1590AF (That's 1,590 years after the Elemental Nations were founded, or AF for those who don't know). Naruko's birth had taken a little over eleven hours but luckily there were no complications to speak of. Unless of course, you count a hundred story tall ravenous demon attacking the village a complication. Sadly Naruko's mother, the lively Uzumaki Kushina, passed away shortly after giving birth to her daughter. The passionate redhead had discovered very early on in her pregnancy that she suffered from a medical condition which made giving birth to any child an almost suicidal endeavour because of the strain it would put on her body and as such the doctors had strongly advised that she terminate the pregnancy before it was too late to do so.

Those same doctors were later admitted into their own hospital for numerous injuries, mostly to the genitals, which ironically would make the act of conceiving a baby extremely painful.

Kushina had warned those doctors lucky enough to avoid becoming patients themselves that giving birth to a child of her own was her greatest dream and that if she would die bringing her baby into the world then she would go on to the afterlife with a smile on her face, content to watch her child from afar until (Many years from then) her little boy or girl joined her, hopefully with stories of grandbabies and great grandbabies to share. She kept her condition a secret, knowing that many would try to talk her out of her decision and when she gave birth to a healthy baby girl nine months later Uzumaki Kushina, after holding her child for three whole minutes, telling Naruko how much she loved her and how sorry she was that she wouldn't be there, passed on with a smile, her daughter in her arms.

In official records, Uzumaki Naruto's biological father is listed as 'Unknown'. Most just assumed that Kushina either lost her love to a mission or had decided that she wanted a baby but not a partner to share it with as many kunoichi do. It was known only to a select few that Naruko's father was in fact Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage himself, lest the small family become targets to those who wished revenge on the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha' after his actions in the Third Great Shinobi War.

It was nearly ten minutes after the redheaded mother's passing that her jackass of a husband who was too damn noble for his own good (As she would later call him, repeatedly, loudly and at length) heard word that his wife had passed on giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Minato immediately abandoned the front lines, leaving little instruction for his poor soldiers, to find his wife dead and his daughter crying loudly at the loud noises outside. Minato collapsed at his wife's side with tears steaming down his face and his daughter clutched to his chest. When he finally managed to collect himself, he hauled his tired body to his feet and carried himself and his daughter towards the Hokage Tower, steeling himself with all his considerable resolve for what he was about to do. He collected a special scroll from his library and, praying for his love and his child to one day forgive him, made his way towards the front lines.

Hours later, Minato's predecessor, now successor, Sarutobi Hiruzen, his master Jiraiya and the elders Homura, Koharu and Danzou sat in the dark Hokage's office with a sleeping Naruko lying in a cot on the table, the blanket moved aside to reveal a dark seal of amazing complexity on her chubby belly. They talked throughout the night about what should be done with the child. It was quickly established that Sarutobi could not take her into his house given the risk posed by assassins that would be out for the weakened village's old leader like sharks sensing bait. Jiraiya declined the offer as well, saying that he was the last person that should be left responsible of a child and that he would be constantly on the move keeping up with his information network leaving him with no time to raise her properly. They doubted that one of the clans would have her and Danzou's proposal to have the girl trained to utilise her new demonic chakra was immediately shot to hell by Sarutobi, Jiraiya and Koharu who knew that if she was given over to Danzou, the poor girl would be reduced to an emotionless husk by the time she was four. They argued back and forth for hours, none being able to come up with an idea that suited all parties until Sarutobi reluctantly agreed to place the baby in one of the village orphanages.

So that's what they did.

This, unfortunately, didn't put an end to Naruko's problems entirely.

Life at the orphanage was tolerable at best, unfailingly depressing at worst. The workers at the orphanage held true to the orders given to them by the Hokage when he dropped the girl off but did no more than they were ordered. They fed, clothed and housed the girl but beyond that, Naruko was on her own. If she was sad, no workers would try to cheer her up, if she was lonely, nobody would talk to her and if she was ever caught up to no good then she received the harshest punishments with no questions asked or answered given. While she was never beaten or starved and while bullying her was never encouraged, Naruko quickly grew tired of the prison she had grown up in and in her fourth year she simply packed her few belongings and left in the middle of the night.

That was that. That was the last time anyone had seen Naruko.

Of course, she didn't leave the village. It was a long step from leaving an orphanage to leaving what was essentially a four year old's entire world and the prospect of venturing outside the walls was something that she wasn't really ready for.

That was ten years ago now.

Now Naruko, aged fourteen, was living independently and free of the constraints she was forced to endure at the orphanage. She had her own place, took care of her own needs and had since grown into a fine young woman.

* * *

Naruto strolled down the street with an easy gait that was just fast enough as to not be considered slow. She took her time, as though there was nothing in the world that worried her, which was true. Her cool blue eyes stared forward and her face appeared relaxed and almost bored. The cool winds blew by, tugging slightly at the short ends of her hair as she made her way towards the fruit market near her house. She preferred the fresh product bought from crates packed onto carts in the square where every day, stall owners and hagglers bartered and traded. The market was the preferred place for fruit produce in the village since it reminded people of a simpler time and the cheep prices didn't hurt either.

The crowds parted before her as she walked but none looked her in the eye, their gazes passing over the girl as if she wasn't there. No one said anything if she jostled them in the bustle of the crowds and they didn't respond if she asked them to move, instead just stepping aside quietly, not meeting her eyes. She didn't care. She preferred it this way.

As she passed a small store, she caught her reflection in one of the tall mirrors that were on sale.

It was easy to tell that Naruko was beautiful and that her beauty would only grow as she got older. Soft, slightly spiky dark red hair was cut short, framing an fine, sculpted face, the only imperfections being three small lines on each cheek which greatly resembled an animal's whiskers. Above these, two perfectly almond shaped eyes of striking icy blue watched sharply but gave away absolutely nothing. Her face was impassive, as it always was. Smiles were a rare thing with Naruko. Not that she was depressed or anything, it was just the way she was. As cool and composed as a winter ice sculpture, that was Uzumaki Naruko.

A slender neck gracefully curved into deceptively delicate looking shoulders which in turn flowed into thin arms which were toned to near perfection. As many a pervert would gladly attest to, Naruko was rather…_well developed_ for her age, gaining a smooth hourglass figure and bust that would render supermodels green with envy. Round hips dipped to form long, strong legs that lacked a hint of fat, being made of the same toned muscle that made up the rest of her body.

All of this was accentuated slightly by the black tank top she wore tucked into a pair of slightly baggy black pants which fell over a pair of small, sneaker covered feet. A short black jacket was left open to allow cool air to caress her body in the sweltering summer heat.

Yes, Naruko was beautiful but this didn't matter. Not to her.

While she had looks, her personality was less than sociable.

She had earned the title of 'Ice Queen' and wore it with pride and with such skill that even the famed Yuuhi Kurenai would be hard pressed to replicate it. The amount of times a smile had been seen on her face could be counted on one hand with plenty of digits left over and when she spoke it was with the same calm, calculated tone she had become famed for. For her, emotions were a rare thing and outbursts were non-existent. Self control was her lifeblood it seemed. She needed no one and wanted no one. Couple this with an extremely sharp mind, vast intelligence and a will you could bend chakra reinforced steel around and you had one strong girl.

Naruko blinked at her reflection and turned away, continuing onward towards the market. Her steps kicked up dust on the dirt streets as she turned into the ally that lead to the out of the way square where the market was set up and she could already see the crowds gathering. Naruko pushed passed the assembled groups of mothers chatting with their friends as their energetic children ran to and fro between the stalls, their high pitched laughed which mixed with the general roar of the marketplace. Packs of elderly women, decked out in their finest Sunday clothes, chatted about the latest weekly gossip while the stall owners bellowed out their deals, each trying to drown out the competition in terms of volume. A few fast food stands hissed and steamed as they served hot meals to the hungry masses, the smells creating a mouth watering aroma which wafted over the area. The smells and sounds and colours made the scene look like something straight out of a history book telling of the simpler times before modernisation destroyed the concept of a close knit community.

Naruko slid between two men discussing restocking their stall, swerving to avoid the small child who had discovered the fun of spinning in one place until he fell down, then proceeded to make her way between the stalls, her sharp eyes critically analysing the wares, looking for the most ripe, juicy, succulent products available. The stall owners said nothing as she examined their stalls before moving on. They knew it was unwise to deny her service.

When Naruko had discovered this little marketplace a few years ago, she had attempted to buy fruit from one of the stalls, only to be rebuffed by it's owner; a rather robust man with a spectacular black moustache. The man had berated her loudly, gaining the attention of most of the market, telling her that she wasn't welcome and that she had better leave if she knew what was good for her. Calmly, Naruko had tried to reason with the man only for him to start raving, calling for Anbu. Naruko had just stared at him for a long minute before turning and walking out of the market. The man had smiled, thinking he was rid of her.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Naruko had returned a few hours later. She had procured a rather lavish cloaked hood from the washing line of one of Konoha's more well off homes (Which she fully intended to return, of course). With the cloak wrapped around her and the hood pulled over her face, Naruko had returned to the same stall she had been chased from earlier that day. The owned smiled hugely seeing the stylish cloak, thinking he had gained a particularly wealthy customer. His smile was replaced by a scowl as the figure lifted it's head just enough for him to see the face of the person under the hood. It was the Uzumaki brat he'd chased off earlier. He'd opened his mouth to berate her once more but was stopped short when she raised one hand before her, a bag of apples clutched in her fist which had a tear in the netting.

Before he could say anything, Naruko's voice spoke out loudly, gaining as much attention as his had earlier. "What's this!?" She bellowed, her voice disguised enough that it could pass for the voice of a young man entering his twenties. Before the stall owner could collect his wits, she pressed on. "I bought these from you earlier for my Lord's dinner which was attended by numerous figures of note! Imagine his surprise when one of the guests, a wealthy merchant no less, discovered a hole in one of these apples! When it was cut open we found a fully grown worm had eaten the core and it was still there! How do you explain this, merchant!?"

The man spluttered and choked, seeing the crowds giving him distrusting looks and placing the fruit they were going to buy back on the tables with looks of disgust. "I-I-but--"

"But what!?" Naruko barked, not giving him a chance to answer. "My Lord expected quality goods from one of Konoha's famed markets and instead you insult him with this trash!" She threw the apples into the man's arms, watching as he scrambled to catch them. "Be sure that my Lord will never allow himself to suffer this level of disgrace from you again! He may even go before the Hokage if this is the kind of service he can expect from Konoha!" With that, she spun on her heels and marched from the marketplace, her borrowed cloak billowing out behind her, making sure that no one saw her face. If they did then the plan would fall apart at the seams.

The damage was done. Word had spread of the confrontation and the stall's poor quality goods to every ear in the market and people avoided it like the plague. The stall's owner couldn't believe what happened. Within the space of ten minutes his business had gone from booming to non-existent. He tried to regain his customers, saying that it was the Uzumaki girl causing trouble as usual but no one believed him. Uzumaki couldn't afford a cloak of that quality and besides, the voice that spoke was the of a man so they ignored the panicked man and moved on. By then end of the week he was ruined. He was forced to sell his place in the market and move on, accepting a job cleaning rivers for Konoha Environmental Control. The other stall owners who had known him for many years actually believed him when he said that Uzumaki was involved and they realised that the confrontation was supposed to send a message to the other merchants, one which they heard loudly and clearly.

The message was: "Allow me to buy what I want without incident and I won't ruin you."

Naruko never faced any problems from that day forward.

She took full advantage of her well earned equality today, taking her time as she travelled from stall to stall, picking and choosing what she wanted. By the time an hour had passed, she had fresh apples, oranges, some carrots, a few spices, some onions, a stock of celery and a couple of potatoes. She had plans for soup tonight and it looked like it would be a good broth. She paid for her purchases, thanked the owners, ignored their silence and left the market, heading for home.

Checking the battered watched strapped to her wrist, she saw that it was only going onto 1p.m. She had an entire day to kill. Maybe she'd take a walk or see if she could find work for the day?

Her thoughts were broken when someone jostled her from behind, causing her to stumble slightly. Her hand immediately flew to her pocket, patting it down. Her wallet was gone. She spun, her eyes immediately locking onto the figure who was moving slightly faster than those around him, moving in the exact opposite direction of Naruko.

Tucking her bag of groceries securely under her arm, Naruko began to follow the figure, matching his pace. She moved easily through the crowds, not once bumping into anyone as her cold blue eyes kept locked onto her quarry. When the figure's head turned, their eyes locked. Her blue to his green. The boy looked to only be a little older than her if the acne dotting his face was any indication and seemed a little panicky. '_Probably his first time as a pickpocket.' _She thought.

The second he met that icy blue stare, the boy lost his meagre composure and broke into a flat out run, knocking people to the ground in his haste.

Naruko ran after him. Her eyes never leaving the boy's back, she weaved between the confused and angry passers-by like a panther through the forest stalking it's prey. Her legs took long, quick strides, powering her towards the thief, her natural quick footedness and reflexes allowing her to dodge the people who were attempting to get to their feet after being knocked down by the fleeing teen. Angry shouts filled the air but Naruko paid them no heed, intent on getting her money back.

She saw him duck into an alley up ahead and she quickly followed, not once faltering in her pace. The other teen glanced over his shoulder, seeing the girl hot on his heels and gaining fast. He tipped a trash can as he passed it, hoping to slow her down but to his increasing dismay she simply leapt over it with cat like grace.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when two dogs suddenly burst from behind a pile of cardboard boxes, barking madly. He staggered but managed to pass them, barely avoiding one sinking it's teeth into his calf.

Naruto saw the dogs appear and altered her course slightly. She jumped into the air before landing on the lid of one of the trash cans and sprung over the mutts, ignoring their incessant barking. She burst from the alley to see the thief duck into another one further up the street. She knew that alley and what lay at the end of it.

The boy was officially freaking out. That girl somehow knew he was the one who took her wallet then proceeded to chase him through the streets and no matter what he did he couldn't lose her. She matched his speed easily and while he wasn't known for his speed he was faster than some but she kept up with him all the way. He'd hoped the dogs would have ended the chase but still ducked into another alley to get away only to find the damn place led to a dead end!

He spun, hoping he had enough time before she got passed the dogs only to stop cold. The girl had caught him.

Naruko ran flat out towards the thief, her face as calm as ever. As she came nearer, she drew one arm back and as soon as she was within range, swung forward with all her might.

_BOOM!_

The deafening blast reverberated through the alley and out into the streets as a large dust cloud erupted from blocked off end of the small back street.

When the rumble died, the smoke slowly cleared to reveal the thief huddled into a ball at the foot of the wall, shaking violently. As he heard the echo of the mini explosion die he slowly, hesitantly, opened his eyes only to flinch back from the artic gaze boring into his eyes. His head slowly turned to the side and his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in both astonishment and horror.

Barely a foot from where his head lay, Naruko's fist was implanted into the wall. Massive cracks surrounded a crater in the centre of the concrete partition a foot in diameter, nearly punching straight through into the building.

Naruto's fist, Naruko's _thin, slender_ fist, had damn near punched through a nearly foot thick blockade of concrete and metal.

As the girl withdrew her hand from the building's new entrance, the boy's eyes widened even further if that was even possible. Her hand, apart from being a little dusty, didn't have a scratch on it. The flawless, creamy smooth skin was unblemished, not even a little red from the impact and by the look on her face she probably didn't even feel any pain.

Naruko blew the dust from her hand, rubbing the more stubborn particles off, before looking at the teen who flinched back wondering if she had simply missed and was preparing to take another swing. He gave a small whimper and shut his eyes tight as her hand started to reach towards him.

This was it. He was going to die at the hands of this young girl all because he needed a little extra cash. He didn't want to die!

'_Huh?'_ He thought as he felt something being slid from his pocket. His eyes cracked open to see Naruko with her wallet in hand, going through it to make sure the money was all there. Every penny counted after all. After she determined that nothing had been taken, her eyes fell on the boy who suddenly looked like a cornered animal.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" He practically screamed, holding his arms before him as if to shield himself from the girl who just stared at him impassively. "I'm sorry! I just needed cash! I didn't know it was going to be such a big problem! Please don't kill me!" He was near tears by the end.

Naruko stared at the shuddering teen for a few long moments before speaking. "Don't steal from me again." She turned from him, ignoring his frantic nodding and blubbering thanks. Readjusting the grocery bag under her arm, she slid her wallet into the inside breast pocket of her jacket and calmly walked out of the alley like it had never happened.

As she walked back through the crowds, some of whom where still trying to pick themselves up from the thief's desperate run, she checked her watch. 1:10p.m. She'd wasted ten minutes of her time with that boy.

Shaking her head, she continued on through the crowds, making her way towards her home.

* * *

Home for Uzumaki Naruko took the form of a rather ramshackle shack built on top of an apartment building in the more desolate parts of Konoha. The building's wide roof, coupled with the positioning of the buildings around it, meant that Naruko had plenty of space and was shielded from prying eyes. The Shack took up most of the apartment complex's wide roof so her home was also quite large.

She had stumbled on it completely by accident a few weeks after leaving the orphanage. The staircase that led to the roof of the building was located in a decrepit, trash strewn back garden located between the buildings. The only way into it was in the alley beside the apartments, through a small gap in the fence that concealed the garden, totally hidden unless you knew where to look for it. The windows that looked down on the garden were all covered in metal sheets, the back doors leading into the buildings replaced with heavy steel doors meant to keep possible squatters out.

Naruko grunted as she slid the makeshift door she had constructed herself aside. It was made of two corrugated sheets of iron connected by four small metal tubes set into their corners. Naruko had cut two sections out of the metal fence away from the hole before adding the sheets, creating a rather effective sliding door that blended perfectly with the fence. She stepped through and slid the door shut behind her, making sure no one saw her secret entrance.

She walked through the overgrown grass, stepping over the bottles, wrappers, steel wire, rubble and other discarded trash that littered the garden before reaching the crumbling stairs built into the back of one of the buildings, reaching up to the roof. She mounted the steps easily, making sure to avoid the weaker sections of the structure. When she reached the top, her face softened slightly as she gazed upon her home for the last ten years.

The Shack was in far better condition that anyone would expect. Instead of a poorly constructed mass of wood and metal barely big enough to fit one person, the Shack was more like a cabin built onto the roof. While it was far from lavish, it was a godsend to a homeless orphan. The walls were skilfully built using any available material, mostly wood and corrugated iron, with one or two small windows of cracked glass. She didn't know who built the Shack or when it was built, she was just thankful that she found it. The view from the top of the building was great and on either side, boxing in the garden below, were the roofs of two more buildings, with another across the alley. One was used to hand her small amount of laundry and the other was a small kind of recreational area with no real purpose but was cluttered with junk.

Stepping up to the door, Naruko fished around in her coat pocket for a second before withdrawing a small, slightly twisted piece of metal. Inserting it into a crack in the door, she fumbled for a second before hearing a dull scraping sound as the metal bar inside the door fell away, undoing the primitive lock. Twisting the handle, Naruko stepped inside her house, closing the door behind her firmly.

* * *

The next day, Naruto left her house early for work.

While it wasn't possible for her to get any real jobs what with her age and the fact that she was 'the Uzumaki girl', she still managed to make a decent living doing odd jobs around the village. Her biggest clients were merchants who were only in the village for a few days before leaving again, thus not knowing of her reputation. She delivered goods, packed crates, filled in shipping orders to whatever else she could to make money. Employers were always willing to accept her help either for her sharp mind or for her physical strength which teetered on the fine line between being impressive and being monstrous.

Her job today was stacking crates for a local fishmonger. Not the most glamorous job but she never complained. Taguri-san was paying her good money for her help today.

She quickly made her way towards the warehouse district, making her way between the large structures and through groups of workers hauling their wares to the next destination. She made her way around the back of one building and rapped loudly on the door there. After a few minutes of waiting, the door was pulled open with a squeak and Naruko was admitted to the bustling warehouse which reeked of fish.

"Good, you're early." Taguri the foreman's gravely voice said as he closed the door behind the girl. He waved her over to where a dozen or so large crates sat, ready to be moved. "I need these moved into the freezers before they thaw completely. One of the idiots that work for me actually managed to break one of my forklifts so we're a little slow today. Think you can handle that?"

"I'll be done soon, Taguri-san." She assured him as she made her way over to the crates. The stocky fishmonger watched with a slight smirk as the guys watched the girl grasp one crate tightly and he laughed aloud at their faces as the daintily looking kid lifted the crate with little effort and manoeuvred it towards the freezers. He shook his head as he went back to his office. Despite the problems some of the guys had with the girl she sure as hell pulled her own weight.

Naruko grunted as she set the first crate down near the back of the freezer, her breath misting before her. Shrugging off the cold, she made her way back to the loading area for another crate.

* * *

Haruno Sakura huffed and puffed as she struggled to carry several heavy trays of dead, smelly fish over to the cooling chests they were supposed to be loaded into. Why the hell was she lugging around these gross things anyway? Oh yeah, it was their 'mission'. Since the summer was nearly upon them, many of Konoha's Genin were called up to help in the preparations for the many summer festivals. That meant plenty of food, drink, spices and other goods had to be stocked and ready. Teams 7, 8 and 10 had been ordered to help at Taguri's Fishmongers for the day. They'd only been at it for a half an hour so far and already she was tired, sweaty and reeked of fish. Oh God, what must she look like to Sasuke?

"Stop slacking off, Forehead, and actually pitch in for once." A voice said from behind her.

She turned to glare at the pretty blonde who had spoken. "If you had been paying attention, Piglet, you would have realised that I was taking a break. Plus I've piled more trays that you!"

Yamanaka Ino scoffed, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder. Tilting her head, she gave the pinkette her most condescending look. "Sure you did. I suppose you're trying to start a new fad? Somehow I doubt sweat patches are going to catch on any time soon."

Sakura blushed, trying unsuccessfully to cover the dark stains on her dress as her glare increased tenfold. "Shut it, Piggy! I never noticed before how grey your bandages are. Weren't they white when we arrived?"

Ino growled at the slightly younger girl. "They still are, Sweat Patch! You just need to get your eyes checked. Maybe that massive ridge above them is putting too much pressure on them, Monkey Girl?"

"What did you say, Pig!?"

"You head me, Monkey!"

"Pig!"

"Monkey!"

"Pig!"

"Monkey!"

The others sighed at the squabbling teens, having been subjected to the same thing for well over a month now.

"Think we can pack them into one of these crates and have them shipped to some far off country before the sensei's come back?" Kiba whispered to his team mate, Tenten.

The bun haired brunette giggled and shook her head. "No. Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei would notice before we managed to get them out of here."

"Maybe they won't care?" Kiba suggested with raised brows.

Tenten laughed, picking up another couple of trays. "I doubt it. Even if they didn't, the Hokage would have their heads for allowing their students to mail their team mates to some foreign land."

"Oh well, at least we can always dream." Kiba sighed regretfully as he too picked up more trays.

Tenten patted the Inuzuka on the shoulder as she hauled the heavy trays over to the cooling chests.

Tenten was one proud girl. Not only was she this year's top kunoichi but after checking, she discovered that she was also more skilled that any of the kunoichi in the year above her. If they were anything like her female classmates, however, she couldn't really count that as a victory. Out of all the girls in her class, she was the only one who really applied herself to her dream of becoming a strong kunoichi. Oh, Hinata tried of course but her lack of self-confidence always held her back from being truly strong. She was sure that if the shy Hyuuga one day managed to grow a backbone she'd be a force to be reckoned with. Ino and Sakura on the other hand…

To put it simply, they were little more than civilians with access to chakra. They didn't seem to even want to be ninja, instead they focused all their attentions on Tenten's other team mate: Uchiha Sasuke. Their every action revolved around getting the Uchiha survivor to notice them, usually ending with the two of them fighting and the others with painful headaches. She and they didn't really get along. It was probably because she had called them disgraces to the title of kunoichi. Or maybe because, unlike them and nearly every other girl in their age group, she didn't bow at the altar of the 'Great and Powerful' Uchiha Sasuke.

Okay, so he was strong, she would admit. He wouldn't be the Rookie of the Year if he wasn't. And she supposed he _could_ be considered handsome by modern standards but she just couldn't see it. As far as she was concerned, he was her strong, moody, rather egotistical team mate. Strong? Yes. Potential to be great? Probably. Potential as a boyfriend? Not a chance.

She smiled at Kiba's little partner Akamaru as it jumped around her, yipping happily. She was a sucker for puppies and Akamaru was a little cutie despite being a 'strong and fearsome' nin-dog. "Having fun, boy?" She asked, smiling as the little pup barked his agreement. "It shouldn't be too long now then we can leave and get something to eat. Maybe you can get some more bacon if Kiba says yes." The little white dog's tail beat back and forth in his excitement and he shot off like the canine equivalent of a rocket, most likely off to plead his case to Kiba for their desperate need to buy bacon after their mission was over.

She glanced around. Ino and Sakura were still arguing, Kiba was listening to an exuberant Akamaru, the others were probably still outside and the sensei's were off doing whatever it was they did when the mission their team was performing was too boring for their tastes. Only a few trays remained to be loaded she saw. Just a little longer and--

"AHHHHH!" A high pitched scream cut through the air like a knife.

Tenten's head snapped around and she saw Sakura lying on the floor, the trays she was carrying scattered across the concrete. Ino stood off to one side, hands clasped over her mouth, and they watched in horror as one of the heavier wooden crates began to topple over from the top of the pile it was on.

"Sakura, look out!" Tenten screamed but for the life of her, she couldn't move. She could only watch, spellbound, as the heavy block of wood slipped over the edge, plummeting towards the still screaming girl below in slow motion.

Tenten shut her eyes, unable to do anything else. She knew that even if she could move, she wasn't strong enough to stop the crate or quick enough to get Sakura out before it crushed them both. Her heart pounding in her chest, she tried to will herself temporarily deaf, unable to bear the girl's terrified screams.

Suddenly there was a bang, a grunt and Sakura's screams cut off abruptly.

Trembling all over, Tenten slowly forced her eyes open fully expecting to see red creeping out from under a wrecked crate but what she did see took her breath away.

Standing above Sakura protectively, legs spread and braced to compensate for the great load, was a redheaded girl who had actually managed to _catch_ the crate on her shoulders, her arms gripping the sides to keep it steady. The girl's face looked a little strained as she struggled to keep the heavy crate from tumbling from her grip and onto the pink haired teen who just stared at her saviour in dumbfounded amazement.

It was then the Tenten realised the redhead was shaking slightly. Looking at her feet, she realised what was wrong. The impact had knocked her stance wide and the weight of the crate was now forcing her legs apart even as the teen struggled to keep them together.

Snapping out of her stupor, Tenten rushed to the girl as did Kiba. Together, the two managed to manoeuvre the crate off the girl's shoulders and onto the ground just as the foreman came running over, followed by a few of his workers.

"What the hell happened!? Are you kids okay!?"

"We're fine, Taguri-san." Tenten assured him somewhat shakily after the incident.

"What happened?"

Tenten turned to the pink haired girl. "Sakura? What happened?"

Sakura blinked and when she answered her voice was extremely uneven, as if she were ready to burst into tears at any moment. "I-I-I was talking to I-Ino when suddenly something smashed into the ground right beside me. It s-startled me and I fell over and that's when the crate tipped over. I thought I was going to die." As soon as the word left her mouth, she became overcome with tears. Ino sank to her former best friend's side and wrapped her into a hug. Just because they weren't as close as they used to be didn't mean she didn't still care.

"Taguri." One of the workers said, handing the beefy man something he picked up from the floor. Taguri peered at it, turning the twisted metal object over in his hands.

"It's a buckle from a restraint belt." He explained. He looked up and sure enough, the strap that held the crate to the pile had snapped. "Damn thing must have broken off and caused the crate to fall. I swear, I'm gonna tear those damn suppliers a new one over this!" He growled. Shaking his head, he looked at the kids. "What happened next?"

"The crate had just fallen over and was about to hit Sakura when she somehow managed to catch it." Tenten said, pointing to the strange redhead, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice entirely.

"Heh, Uzumaki, you alright?" Taguri asked the girl, concerned.

"I'm fine, Taguri-san." She grimaced a bit as she rolled her shoulder. "I probably bruised my shoulder but beyond that I'm okay."

'_Just bruised her shoulder!? Something that heavy should have snapped her spine in half!' _Tenten thought incuriously.

"Here, kid, take this and take the rest of the day off." Taguri said, breaking her out of her thoughts as he fished about in his pockets for something. He withdrew a wad of bills and the Genin's jaws dropped. That was as much money as all three Genin teams together were getting paid for this D-rank!

The girl took the money and gave it a quick once over before her face fell into a confused frown. "There must be some mistake, Taguri-san, this is double the price we agreed on. I can't take this."

The large fishmonger just waved off her protests. "You earned it. Not only did you finish early but you saved the girl's life. If she had died it could have put the company in jeopardy and put a lot of good people out of work. Hell, you even managed to keep the crate in one piece!" He laughed.

Naruko shrugged and stuffed the money into her pocket. If someone wanted to be generous, she wasn't about to refuse them. "Thank you, Taguri-san. Let me know if you need more work done." She gave a small bow then turned from the group to leave through the back when Sakura's shy voice spoke up.

"W-Wait." Naruko paused and glanced over her shoulder at the younger girl who looked up at her through tear filled eyes. "I-I just wanted…to thank you. You saved my life. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Naruko said simply and then she was gone.

The Genin watched her leave and when she was out of sight, Taguri spoke up, getting the ninja's attention. "Why don't you kids take a break for a while? And don't worry about the trays that were dropped, it won't affect your pay." He said kindly.

"Thank you, Taguri-san, we appreciate it." Tenten said for them, giving the man a short bow of thanks. They walked over to a small corner which served as a small break area for the workers, consisting of nothing more than a few chairs around a makeshift table built from a small crate and a piece of wood. They each grabbed a seat, Ino keeping an arm wrapped around a still shaky Sakura's shoulders. Kiba, in a rare moment of understanding, fetched them each a glass of water from the water cooler and set them down on the table, receiving a nod of thanks from each girl.

They were silent for a while before Ino asked. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

The girl gave a nod and a sniffle. "Yeah but I can't stop shaking. I just can't get the image of that crate falling towards me out of my head. I was so sure that I was going to die." Her voice wavered and Ino gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"We're lucky that girl was here." Ino said.

"What I want to know was how the hell she managed to catch that crate." Tenten said, remembering how the crate seemed even heavier when she helped get it off the strange girl's shoulders and even then she was sure the mysterious redhead had borne most of the weight. "That thing should have crushed her!" Sakura gave a small sob and Tenten realised her mistake. "Crap! Sorry, Sakura."

The pink haired Genin just waved it off. "It's okay. I'm actually curious as well. She seemed way too strong to be a civilian but she wasn't wearing a hitai-ate and we're the only Genin teams working here today."

"Maybe she was a Chuunin who doesn't like to wear her hitai-ate?" Kiba offered. Akamaru barked in agreement.

Tenten shook her head. "No. She can't have been more than a year older than we are and I checked the scores from last year's graduates and none of the kunoichi had a chance of making Chuunin within a year of leaving the academy, if ever."

They fell silent for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. They didn't know how long it was before a voice brought them back to earth.

"Why are you sitting down? Are you finished already?"

They looked up to see the sensei of Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, walking towards them, one hand in his pocket and the other clutching his favourite smut. Behind him were the other sensei's, Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma as well as the other members of Teams 7 and 8 as well as Team 10.

"Kakashi-sensei." Tenten said, acknowledging her squad leader. "We were just taking a break. There was an accident."

"Accident?" Kurenai asked, one fine black eyebrow rising in confusion. "What kind of accident?"

"One of the restraint buckles holding a crate to the top of one of the piles snapped." Kiba told them. "The buckle nearly hit Sakura and she fell just as the crate tipped over the edge right above her."

"Are you okay?" Kurenai asked her student.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Sensei. The crate was just about hit me when somebody stopped it."

"Somebody stopped the crate? One of _those _crates?" Asuma asked disbelievingly, pointing at the pile of large boxes. He doubted anyone below an elite Chuunin would have been able to stop something that heavy in a freefall and even then they'd have trouble, even with chakra.

The girl nodded. "Yeah, pretty easily too. The weird thing is I don't think she was even a ninja."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked, intrigued. "I doubt a civilian would have been strong enough to even lift something that heavy. What was this person's name?"

"Uh…Uzigake I think."

"No." Tenten shook her head. "Taguri-san called her Uzumaki."

The three Jounin did a double take at the name. "Did you say Uzumaki?" Kakashi asked, actually tucking his book away for once.

The Genin nodded.

Kakashi glanced at his colleagues who looked equally surprised at the news.

"Sensei? Something wrong?" Tenten asked, seeing their looks.

"No, nothing." Kakashi said absentmindedly. Turning his full attention back to the Genin, he asked, "This girl, what did she look like?"

Kiba took this one. "She had short red hair, high cheekbones, light blue eyes…uh, three weird marks on her cheeks, kinda like whiskers. Let's see…she was tall; about Shino's height I guess. Oh! She had a great figure and a _huge _pair of--"

"Kiba!" Snapped Kurenai, Tenten, Sakura and Ino, causing the young Inuzuka to flinch back, realising he'd said too much.

"Sorry."

"Pervert." Tenten muttered, shaking her head at him.

During all of this, Kakashi had been in deep thought. By the sound of it, this was the same Uzumaki that the Kyuubi had been sealed into and the same girl who went missing from her orphanage ten years prior. When her disappearance was discovered, the Hokage had ordered a search for her but in a village the size of Konoha and the size of the child in question the search turned up nothing. The Sandaime couldn't have committed too many ninja to the search since it would have stretched their forces too much. There had been rumours of course but they were too sparse and spread out for anything definite. _'We should tell Hokage-sama about this.'_

"Well," He said, getting everyone's attention. "We're almost done here. Let's get the rest of the supplies packed away then go back to the Hokage's office."

Grumbling slightly, the Genin got up to finish their 'mission'.

* * *

Naruko shut the door behind her, absentmindedly slipping the metal bar that made up the lock back into place, sealing the door. She slid off her hat and jacket and hung them on two of the bent nails that passed for coat hooks before kicking off her shoes, placing them beside the door then walking into her home.

For a derelict, handmade abode, the Shack was pretty well stocked. The bare wooden floors were covered by numerous different cuts from an assortment of different carpets, creating a sort of giant collage on her floor and the walls were bare wood but kept the cold out pretty well. The biggest room, the one she had just entered, was the living room. A old couch that had seen better days sat slouched in the middle of the room and behind that was a stack of shelves that she herself had made. It was stocked with a few books she managed to borrow from the library or had found as well as some of her very few trinkets. A small table she had found in the back garden served as a centrepiece for the room.

She didn't know who built the Shack or why but whoever did was knowledgeable. They had managed to divert power, gas and water from the apartments bellow her and redirect them to include the Shack; something invaluable to a homeless person, especially during the colder times of year.

In one corner of the living room was a small section which had been converted to serve as a kitchenette consisting of a fridge freezer and an oven with a few ramshackle cabinets and a counter. It had taken a lot of cleaning for them both to be considered usable and while she wasn't totally convinced that the oven wouldn't one day blow up in her face, it served it's purpose. One door led off to her bedroom and another opened into a small room that had been renovated as a bathroom. A single small window allowed light into the room and a bare bulb hung from the ceiling.

Her steps resounded off the floorboards as she walked across to door to the bathroom and she pushed it open. It was a little cramped but had a toilet, a sink and a shower so she didn't care.

She turned the tap in the shower and The Shack's old scavenged pipes gurgled loudly before a torrent of water erupted from the shower head, quickly filling the room with steam. She peeled off her tank top and slid out of her pants and underwear before standing, naked to the world.

Stepping under the spray, she grabbed the small bar of soap that was nearing the end of it's life and began to build up a good lather. She tilted her head back, allowing the spray to cascade over her face and down her neck as she rubbed the soap into her skin. The hot water was gently soothing the ache in her shoulder; a memento from the falling crate. Raising one arm, she slid her soapy hand down her side before sliding up and massaging into the curve of her neck, rubbing the stress of the day away. When she was done, she grabbed the shampoo (A cheap brand but one that had a scent that appealed to her) and gently began to rub it into her scalp, enjoying the soothing feeling. It wasn't long before that too was done and Naruko stayed under the pounding spray for a few more minutes, indulging in one of her few pleasures.

When she was finished, she cut off the spray and stepped out of the stall before grabbing a threadbare towel and rubbing off the moisture that coated her skin in a glistening sheen before walking to her room, unabashed in her state of undress. It wasn't like anyone was going to visit and walk in unannounced and see her.

A small, single person bed, a tiny bedside table, a battered cupboard and a chest-of-drawers made up her sleeping quarters, the only other window in the tiny home covered by a thin rag that made due as a curtain.

She pulled the squeaky doors of the cupboard open and reached in to gently pull out one of her very few treasures. A thin robe of dazzling blue silk slid through her fingers like water. Its ridiculously smooth material was painted in a beautiful depiction of rolling waves crashing before a snow topped mountain under a setting sun, it's rays blending from orange and yellow to the blue of the rest of the robe. While Naruko wasn't one for pretty things, the robe was by far her favourite and most expensive possession. She had received it after delivering a load of them to one of the stores in town. The owner, a newcomer to the village, had noticed that the supplier had sent her more than she had ordered and since she didn't need these extras nor did she need to pay for them, the kind woman had given one to Naruko as thanks for delivering the goods.

That same lady had been one of the few to have even been graced by Naruko's rare smile.

Naruko slid into the expensive garment and synched it at the waist with it's delicate belt before strolling into the living room. She picked one of her few books from the shelves (_Silvered Mirrors _by Sukara Himori) and settled into the sagging cushions of her sofa with a soft sigh.

Opening the slightly dog-eared book to where she had marked it last, Naruko began to read.

* * *

"So Naruko's still alive."

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma stood in the Hokage's office. Their teams had returned to collect their pay but the Jounin had stayed behind to inform their leader of what their students had told them. The Sandaime stood before the window now, his pipe smoking as he gazed out towards the village he spent his entire life protecting.

"It seems so." Kakashi said quietly.

Sarutobi was silent for a long while. "How did she look?"

"We didn't see her ourselves but Kiba ah…_commented_ that she seemed healthy." Kurenai said, causing Kakashi and Asuma to chuckle at her skirting of Kiba's perverted comments.

Sarutobi gave a gravely 'hmm' of thought as he once more lapsed into silence. After a long time, he asked, "And you say she stopped a fully laden crate from crushing Sakura? By herself?"

Asuma nodded even if his dad couldn't see it. "Yeah. That's what the kids say."

"And did you sense…_It's_ chakra at any time?"

The three Jounin shook their heads, each with a "No".

"I wasn't really looking but I would have sensed _It's _chakra if it was used. What about you two? Did you sense anything?" Kakashi asked his fellow teachers.

"No." Kurenai said.

"Me neither." Asuma piped up.

Sarutobi thought for a few minutes before asking, "Did you ask Taguri-san about her?"

"We did. Unofficially." Kakashi said cryptically.

"What did he say?" The Hokage asked, understanding that the fishmonger wanted digression with the topic.

"It seems that Naruko is quite famous with the merchants. She takes any old odd job available be it physical labour, a need for a courier or administrative work. Basically if someone needs some help, they go to Naruko. A lot of merchants have done business with her at one point or another." Kurenai informed her leader.

Taking a large puff of his pipe, Sarutobi slowly blew the smoke from his nostrils. He glanced towards the portraits of the past Hokage, settling on one in particular before sighing and lowering himself into his padded leather chair. He drummed his fingers on the table before his eyes settled on Kakashi. "You say two of your students saw Naruko with their own eyes?"

Kakashi nodded.

Sarutobi reached over to a pile of blank scrolls before pulling one out and grabbing his ornate fountain pen. He scribbled something down for a minute before grabbing his rubber stamp and applying his seal of approval with a dull _bang_. He then rolled up the scroll before tossing it to Kakashi who caught it easily. "I am assigning you and your team a mission. It's classed as D-rank but with C-rank pay. I want you to search the village and see if you can find Naruko again."

Kakashi looked at the scroll in his hand for a minute, seemingly in thought, before asking, "May I ask why you want us to find her, Sir?"

Sarutobi thought about it for a moment before deciding that disclosure would be best in this case. "There are things I need to talk to Naruko about. Matters pertaining to her safety."

"Her safety?" Asuma asked.

The Sarutobi Head leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Jiraiya contacted me. As you may or may not know, he has established a network of information contacts throughout the different countries. He told me that a group calling themselves Akatsuki have been making discreet enquiries. They've been asking about the Bijuu; specifically their Jinchuuriki, who they are, where they can be found and what skills they possess. We don't know why they're asking about Jinchuuriki but neither of us believe it is just a case of natural curiosity. Jiraiya is looking for more information but it's been proving hard to come by. This Akatsuki is extremely careful about making sure they leave no traces of themselves behind. We haven't even gotten a description of any of their members. If I am correct and Akatsuki is going to try and capture the Jinchuuriki then we need to be prepared. _Naruko _needs to be prepared."

"But how?" Kurenai asked after a long stretch of silence. "Prepared in what way?"

"I have several options but I want to run them by Naruko before anything is decided." Sarutobi explained.

"Team 7 will find her, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said confidently as he tucked the scroll containing their orders into his vest pocket.

"Good. I want daily updates. Dismissed."

* * *

The next morning, Tenten sat on the railing of the bridge that served as Team 7's usual meeting spot, idly swinging her legs over the side, gazing down at her reflection in the water below as she waited for the rest of her team to arrive.

She didn't have to wait long before she saw Kiba coming along the road, Akamaru trotting along at his feet. He looked a little ruffled, as he always did in the mornings.

"M'rnin'." He tried to say through a jaw cracking yawn.

"Late night?" Tenten asked him as he crossed his arms on the railing, laying his head on them.

"Hana." Kiba grumbled, referring to his older sister. "She had a few of her friends over last night. They were drinking pretty hard and had the stereo on full blast most of the night. Didn't get to sleep until 5.a.m."

Tenten grimaced in sympathy. "Why didn't you ask your mom to tell her to keep it down?"

Kiba snorted. "Who'd you think supplied the booze? She was one of the loudest ones there."

Tenten burst out laughing at the disgruntled look on the teen's face and ruffled his hair, gaining an irritated huff from him. "One day you'll be hosting parties and being the noisy one in the family, Little Kiba."

"_Little_!?" Kiba asked incredulously but playfully. "I'll have you know, Panda-chan, that there is absolutely nothing _little_ about me."

"I highly doubt that, dobe."

Kiba growled and spun just as their last team mate, Uchiha Sasuke, came strolling onto the bridge, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"What did you call me, you moody bastard!?" Kiba shouted, baring his fangs.

Sasuke just scoffed at the feral boy. "No wonder you're the dead last; you can't even understand Japanese."

Kiba growled. "I understand that you're begging for someone to kick your ass."

Sasuke smirked, further angering the other boy. "You couldn't in the academy. What makes you think you could now?"

"Guys, do we have to do this every day?" Tenten sighed. For the last month since they had become a team, the two boys had never said a civil thing to one another, instead bickering as much Sakura and Ino do. Well…_almost_ as much…

Whatever the boys would have said was drowned out by a puff of smoke popping into existence right beside Tenten, nearly causing her to fall into the stream.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted his team with a wave from where he was crouched on the railing.

"Don't do that!" Tenten screamed in frustration, one hand over her racing heart. _Every day_ since they became a team her sensei like to appear right beside her in the morning, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin every time!

"Sorry." Kakashi apologised but the grin on his face told her that he was anything but.

'_Jackass.'_

Before his weapon wielding student could attempt to skin him alive, Kakashi pulled a scroll from his vest. "We have a mission." He told them, becoming slightly more serious. "This one comes straight from the Hokage. It's listed as D-rank but you'll receive C-rank pay upon it's completion."

"What's the mission?" Tenten asked intrigued. If the Hokage had authorised the mission himself and was paying them C-rank pay then it must be important.

"We need to find someone. Specifically, we need to find the girl you met at Taguri's Fishmongers yesterday."

"The one that saved Sakura?" Kiba asked, surprised. "Why."

"Her name's Uzumaki Naruko." Kakashi explained. "Ten years ago, she went missing from the orphanage she grew up in and has been off the radar since. The Hokage wants us to find her then report back to him."

"Why? What's so important about one homeless orphan girl?" Sasuke asked, confused.

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "The reasons are personal but that doesn't matter. We've been ordered to find her for the Hokage. This was a direct order from our supreme commander and we have to comply."

"Okay, so what's first?" Kiba asked, ready to get on with it.

Kakashi fished a small notebook from his vest and opened it to a blank page. "First we need an image to go on. Tenten and Kiba, since you two actually talked with Naruko we need you to help with the sketch."

It took a little while but before too long they had an accurate picture of Naruko to go on. Kakashi had all three of them memorise it and when he was sure they wouldn't forget, he bit his thumb before running through a small chain of hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

There was another burst of smoke except this time three nin-dogs appeared before Kakashi, each wearing Konoha ninja paraphernalia.

"Yo, Kakashi, long time no see." The smallest dog, a little pug, said, it's paw raised in greeting.

"Hey, Pakkun." Kakashi nodded back. Turning to his students, he told them, "These are my summons. Guys, I want you to go with my students. We're trying to find a girl and your noses will be a big help. Do you think you can help me?"

"Sure." Pakkun nodded before walking over to Tenten. "Hey, name's Pakkun."

"Hello, Pakkun-san. Call me Tenten." She smiled back, a little bemused at talking with a dog.

The dog that went over to Kiba gave him a small yap of greetings but Akamaru didn't seem too approving of this newcomer muscling it's way into _his_ territory. He seemed to calm slightly after the summon barked a few things to him and the dogs got on well from there on.

Sasuke accepted his companion without a word.

"Alright, intelligence we gained says that Naruko is well known by the merchants in the village. She performs any odd jobs that are going so she may be working today. You could also try the parks, markets, stores or places like that. Tenten said Naruko mentioned she hurt her shoulder yesterday so I'm going to check out the hospital and see if she went there at any point. If you find her, send your summon to come fetch me and keep on Naruko. We only need to find her so under no circumstances try to restrain her or bring her in. Other than that just be careful." Kakashi seemed to be looking at Sasuke as he mentioned the 'No Apprehending' rule.

The Uchiha child scoffed. "How dangerous can she be?"

"She _did_ catch a half-ton crate by herself yesterday _and_ with little effort I might add." Tenten pointed out.

Sasuke just 'hn-ed' and crossed his arms.

"Okay, we'll search for a few hours and if we don't find anything we'll call it a day and try again tomorrow. Dismissed." With that, Kakashi vanished in a burst of smoke as the three Genin and their animal companions split up to search the massive village for the wayward redhead.

* * *

The first day had been a bust. It seemed that no one had seen or heard from Naruko at all that day but there were those who had heard _of_ her. Most were merchants who had only good things to say about the girl. While it seemed that they didn't know her from a personal standpoint, they did say that her work ethic was admirable and each spoke reverently of her strength. They were a little wary of the ninja looking for the quiet, hardworking girl and were hesitant to help, fearing they could land her in trouble.

Still, there were others, mostly civilians the Genin had asked during moments of frustration, who didn't seem to care too much for the illusive redhead. When questioned, the villager in question would frown, give a curt denial of knowing the girl and left without another word. The Genin thought this strange but didn't pursue it. They looked all over the village for any sign of the Uzumaki girl but found nothing.

It was a weary and tired group of teens that were dismissed from the Hokage's office later that night after giving their reports. They each split up without a word, each desiring nothing more that a hot meal and a comfy bed for the night.

Tomorrow the search would continue.

The next day Naruko was sitting outside a small convenience store with a ragged looking backpack sitting at her feet as she waited. It wasn't long before she saw the store's elderly owner shuffle out with a large pile of forms in his hands and she stood to meet him.

"Ah, Naruko-chan." The old man said when he saw her. He seemed lost for a moment before asking, "Why are you here again?"

"You hired me to deliver order forms to the merchants at the warehouses, Doka-san." Naruko reminded him, used to the old man's failing memory by now.

"Ah yes!" The man exclaimed. He handed her the forms. "I need you to deliver these to the merchants at the warehouses so I can get my new stock."

She tucked the forms into her backpack and zipped it shut. "I understand, Doka-san."

"Good, good." The shopkeeper nodded before his eyes scrunched in confusion as he peered at the girl. "Who're you again?"

"I'm Naruko, Doka-san. You hired me to deliver your order forms."

"Well, what are you still doing here?" He asked her, waving her away before shaking his head and shuffling back into his store muttering, "Kids these days. So lazy. Have to beat them with a stick to get them to do anything."

Naruko ignored the elderly man and turned to run down the street. She slipped between the milling villagers, swerving around stalls and the occasional carriage as she made her way through the village. She used her extensive knowledge of the village's back streets to cut down on her time. While she wasn't on the level of a ninja when it came to travelling, she had developed a habit of free running when she was in a hurry.

She easily scaled a chain fence before leaping off it and landing on a trashcan which she used to springboard herself out of the alley, neatly jumping over the wheelbarrow full of watermelons that had been in the way, before passing over a small fence that cordoned off one of Konoha's many parks. She cut between the trees, her feet kicking up a trail of leaves in her wake, the _whish_ing sound of the passing trees filling her ears like the hissing of angry snakes. Skipping over a fallen tree, she broke the tree line and passed the joggers on the concrete path that wormed through the park, passing them with more speed than any civilian should possess.

As she approached the opposite fence to the other side of the village, she brought her hands forward and used them to flip herself over the railing before continuing on, never once faltering in her pace when she noticed a problem. The streets ahead of her were packed. It would take a while to get through there.

Suddenly her sharp eyes spotted a stack of crates piled up at the side of a low building. Making up her mind, she altered her course and ran up the stack before jumping and grabbing hold of the edge of the roof. She pulled herself up and took off once more. There were no gaps between the buildings and they were roughly the same height so it was no problem for the nimble civilian to traverse them.

As she leapt from the Post Office to Ruki's Curtains, she glanced over the skyline. Dominating the scene was the Hokage Monument, the Hokage Tower and the Hospital. In the distance she could see ninja pouncing from building to building, faster and farther than she could. She'd have to get down before they saw her. Civilians weren't allowed on the roofs.

She continued on for nearly ten minutes before the large warehouses came into sight and she dropped down from the roofs, crouching to absorb the impact. She slowed her pace, nodding to the guards at the gates before continuing on into the hustle and bustle of the warehouse district. Forklifts carried heavy loads between the buildings and dozens of workers lifted supplies out onto waiting carts, shouted instructions to each other or sat in a group, talking as they ate their lunches.

Naruko dropped off the first batch of order forms to Sarimo's Fruit Market before continuing on to stop at Taka Dairy, Taguri's Fishmongers and Old Hariku's Distillery. By the time they were all delivered it was well past noon. Naruko stopped at Doka's store to collect her pay (Which took a while thanks to the aging man's failing memory. Thankfully his wife was there to help).

"Thank you, Doka-san." She gave a small bow. "Call on me again if you need any help." She bought a few necessities like soap and shampoo with her newly earned cash and left. A few minutes later a raven haired teen with the Uchiha fan stitched onto the back of his shirt entered and asked the old owner if he'd ever seen anyone named Uzumaki Naruko.

Doka couldn't remember ever hearing that name and Uchiha Sasuke left the store, becoming rather agitated with this pointless mission.

* * *

Maito Gai sighed as he led two thirds of his team into the Hokage Tower after their latest mission. The objective was to lead their client from a small village near the border with Kusa and escort him and his family to the shoreline where they would board a ship to carry them across the water to Kumo. However while en route they were ambushed by a large gang of bandits. While ordinarily bandits were no match for ninja there was the matter that the single female element of their team didn't fully commit herself to training as much as her team mates. She ended up with some serious injuries from the battle and as a result they had to send for replacements to continue on with the mission while they got her back to Konoha to receive treatment. As a result they had forfeit their pay. The money was not too big of an issue but the idea of having to hand over their mission to someone else to complete was never something a ninja liked doing. He sighed again. He'd have to talk with the Hokage about yet _another_ replacement.

"Hokage-sama will see you now, Gai-san." The young secretary said with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Miko-san." Gai gave a small bow of thanks and led his two healthy students passed the Anbu guards and into the spacious office of the greatest warrior in Fire Country.

"Gai." Sarutobi greeted as Team Gai stood at attention before his desk. "I hear one of your students was injured on your mission. What happened exactly?"

"We were three days into the mission when the caravan was attacked by a group of bandits just as we were passing the Maijin Mountains. With the numbers in the attack we believe they may have a base of operations in the area. They attacked simultaneously from either side of the road, leaping down from the trees, armed with spears, swords, clubs; the usual. We acted immediately with myself and Lee engaging them head on while Neji and Hisuka defended the client and his family. With his Byakugan and Jyuuken, Neji managed to keep most of the bandits at bay but Hisuka…" He sighed. "Sir, she panicked and one of the enemy managed to get behind her and wound her with his dagger which was coated in poison; a kind of arachnid venom if I'm not mistaken. Once the battle was over I cleaned the wound as best I could but she was delirious from fever and it was clear she would only become more ill if left untreated. I sent a messenger hawk back to the village with a request for someone to relieve us and we returned to get Hisuka medical attention." He stood silent when he finished his story.

Sarutobi sighed and leaned back in his chair as he took up his pipe. With a quick flick a match was lit and he held the flame to the dried leaves in the end of the pipe as he puffed before snuffing out the match and tossing it into the wastebasket. "I take it you want to suggest Hisuka be dropped from the program?"

Gai nodded, his face contrite. "I'm afraid so. She just doesn't seem to have what it takes to be a ninja."

Sarutobi nodded with a sigh. "What does that make it? Five replacements?"

Gai nodded, shamefaced.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Gai, none of this is your fault. It's better that we drop them now than you having to visit their parents and explain how their child died on a mission. If they don't have what it takes then they should forget about being a ninja." He shook his head. "I'll visit Hisuka and her parents later on. Our biggest problem will be finding her replacement. The kunoichi scores from last year are among the lowest we've ever seen. At this rate we're going to have to start looking at students who passed in other years but are still waiting for placement. Go get some rest, all of you. I'll summon you when I've got something."

Gai nodded and led his team out of the Hokage Tower where he turned to them. "Go home and meet me tomorrow at our training grounds. It's about the only thing we can do without a fourth team mate."

"Hai, Gai-sensei." They said as they split off, each heading in different directions towards their homes.

With a sigh, Gai turned towards his own secluded training spot, feeling the need to work off some of his frustration. When, he wondered, would his team ever be complete?

* * *

"This is pointless." Sasuke finally said. He and his team were currently walking towards the warehouse district in search of any clue as to where they could find their target. It was currently the fourth consecutive day of searching and they had yet to find anything that would lead them to the girl. "We've been looking all over for this girl and we _still_ haven't found anything. We should be training or going on a mission not looking for some lowlife."

"We _are _on a mission, Sasuke." Kakashi reminded him, not looking up from his book.

"I meant a _real _mission." Sasuke replied, annoyed.

"Hokage-sama issued it to us so that makes it a real mission. Enough whining, we need to be on the lookout for any sign of her." Said Kakashi. He tucked away his book and turned to his team. "I'm going to check in at the gatehouses and see if anyone matching Naruko's description left the village in the last few days. You three continue on towards the warehouse district and take another look around." With that he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving his three students alone.

When they arrived at the warehouses, they began to go through the same routine they had for the last four days. They asked people if they knew Naruko, if they had seen her in the past few days, if they knew where she lived. Sadly no one seemed to know anything about Naruko other than that she was a good worker. Either that or they were being deliberately uncooperative in order to protect her, even when the ninja assured them that she was in no trouble.

"If you don't know where to find her then how do you call her when you have work for her?" Tenten challenged one foreman.

"The girl just knows when she's needed." He said cryptically and walked off.

Tenten groaned in annoyance and frustration and flopped down onto a pile of timber as Sasuke and Kiba walked up to her, equal looks of defeat on their faces. They plopped down beside her and they silently watched the workers filter by, each lost in their own thoughts.

Currently, Tenten was thinking about their target. _'How can it be so hard to find one person? Even in a village the size of Konoha _someone_ must have seen her. Red is a pretty rare hair colour here and how many people have three whisker marks on each cheek? She's apparently well known by the merchants but no one will help us find her. ARGH! This is annoying the hell out of me! Where is this girl? She's not registered as renting any apartments, none of the other homeless know her and none of the shelters have ever seen her come in. Where would a homeless girl live where she's seen by no one? Does she even have a set place to sleep or does she just sleep where she lays down for the night? Wait, there are plenty of shady apartment buildings in this village and I'll bet that not all of them keep up to date records. She could even be living under a false name.' _She mentally groaned. _'We'll never find her at this rate. Why does Hokage-sama care so much about finding this one person anyway?'_

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Lets go ask at the Military Police headquarters, maybe they have a file on her."

The other two grunted and followed her towards the main building of the city police force.

* * *

Sadly that too was a bust. The ninja at the front desk checked the database and they had never arrested anyone named Uzumaki Naruto nor had she ever been connected to a crime or filed any charges with them.

The Genin left the building, their hopes at an all time low.

Now they sat on a bench in one of Konoha's many parks, gazing out across the pond where many others congregated, enjoying the summer sun.

Tenten lazily tossed bits of a ration bar for the ducks while Kiba petted a snoozing Akamaru while the pup lay on his lap. Sasuke just sat staring into space.

Tenten sighed, her head lolling back to look up at the clear blue sky. "That's it. I give up. We'll never find her."

"We need to." Kiba grumbled. "It reflects badly on us to abandon a mission. We just have to keep looking."

Tenten covered her face with both hands and screamed with frustration before removing her hands and shouting to the sky, "Does anyone know where the hell we can find Uzumaki Naruko!?"

"Did you say Uzumaki?"

The three Genin spun in their seats to see a large man with a black moustache wearing the dark green jumpsuit that all Environmental Control workers had to wear, luminescent silver strips running around their wrists and chests so that people could see them if they were ever working at night or in the sewers.

"Yes, we're looking for her. Do you know where we can find her?" Tenten asked, barely able to keep her excitement in check. After days of fruitless searching they might finally have a lead!

"No." The man shook his head.

The Genin sagged over the bench. They didn't know whether to cry or scream. It was hopeless.

"But I know where she'll be."

Or maybe not. The ninja looked up at the man, their looks half curious half pleading. "Where?" Sasuke all but demanded.

"Why are you looking for her?" The man asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Please, sir, the Hokage himself issued us with a mission to find Uzumaki Naruko. We've been looking for days and still can't find her." Tenten said diplomatically, seeing that Kiba was ready to tear into the man.

"Hmph!" The man snorted. "Maybe the Hokage will finally do something about that wretched little menace."

"Menace?" Tenten asked. _'Nobody ever said anything about that.'_

"Yeah, menace. That girl is nothing but trouble. I should know. The little bitch ruined my life."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"I used to own a stall in the fruit market; a pretty successful one too. My goods were some of the best money could buy. One day I was minding my own business when all of a sudden someone wearing a pretty fancy cloak shows up. Here's me thinking "Lookie here! A brand new _rich _customer all for me!". I was about to make a sales pitch when the person underneath the cloak looked up at me and wouldn't you know it, it's that damn Uzumaki bitch! Then the little slip of a girl holds up one of _my own _bags of apples and there was a rip in the netting! Before I could tear her a new one, she starts ranting and raving for all the market to hear, saying that she was a servant from some noble's house and that she bought the apples from me earlier that day for a dinner party and that one of the guests found a fully grown worm in one of the apple cores. Utter shit! She tosses the bag and me, turns around and leaves leaving me standing there with a half empty bag of apples and a stall full of fruit that no one will buy! By the end of the week word had spread and suddenly everyone acted like my stall was invisible. I had to sell my space, toss perfectly good stock in the trash and take this crappy job. In five minutes I went from one of the most successful stall owners in the market to a fucking river cleaner all because of Uzumaki Naruko!" The man was pacing by the end of his rant, his face an angry red.

"Wait, why would she do that?" Tenten asked, confused.

"Because she's been nothing but trouble since the day she was born." The man said irritably. "I swear, no wonder she's an orphan. Her parents probably knew what a little monster she was and just tossed her into the streets. I wouldn't blame them if they did."

Tenten frowned at that. There were things that didn't add up but she chose not to pursue it for now. "Can you tell us where to find her, sir?"

The man looked irritated. "I just did. The market, every week like clockwork. Trust me, she'll be there."

"Thank you, sir, you've been a big help." Tenten thanked him and they watched as the man lumbered off across the park.

"Alright!" Kiba exclaimed in excitement. "The marketplace! What day is it open again?"

"Sunday." Tenten told him. "My mom usually goes there and she used to take me with her when I was little."

"We should tell Kakashi." Sasuke said as he stood from the bench. "It's Saturday today so we tell him what we've found, go get the girl tomorrow and then we can finally end this pointless mission."

The other two shrugged and followed their team mate towards the gates to fetch their teacher.

* * *

When Sunday finally arrived, Team 7 sat perched on the roofs surrounding the market, watching for the telltale shock of red hair of their target. They were each equipped with a headset for easy communication and even Akamaru had a nin-dog variation of the technology developed by the Inuzuka clan. Kakashi sat on top of a water tower while Tenten was hidden behind some crates on the building across from him. Sasuke was sat between vents in the roof of the building to his right and Kiba and Akamaru were lying on the flat roof to his left, theirs being the only building with no cover. All four sides of the square were covered.

"Do you see anything yet?" Kakashi asked his students as his one visible eye scanned the crowd below him.

"Nothing here." Came Tenten's reply over the headset.

"I don't see her." Sasuke's cool voice spoke back.

"I don't see her either." Kiba grumbled. They'd been here since the market opened at 4.a.m! "That old man had better not have been lying to us."

"I doubt he did." Tenten said back. "He seemed pretty agitated when we mentioned her name plus he had no reason to lie."

"Yeah well all I know is my legs are beginning to fall asleep and we've yet to catch a glimpse of any redheads." The boy replied as he fidgeted, trying to increase the circulation in his legs. He sighed in frustration. "When the hell is that girl--wait! I think I see her! The entrance nearest the burger stand!"

Kakashi leaned forward to get a better look. He could see the red hair moving through the crowds but couldn't see the face clearly. "I can't see her face from here. Kiba, Tenten, is that our girl?"

Tenten peered closer as she tried to see but the person turned slightly which allowed her to see their face. "Kakashi-sensei, that's her! That's definitely Uzumaki Naruko."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked, still trying to see her face.

"Positive. She has the same short red hair and she's got the whisker marks too."

"Tenten's right." Kiba said. "That's her." Akamaru gave a yip of agreement beside him.

"I'd know whether to agree or not if I could just see--" Kakashi let out an inaudible gasp as the crowds parted enough to catch a glimpse of the person's face. _'My God. Her face is a little more angular but she looks just like her mother.'_

It was true. Looking at her now it was easy to see who her parents were. While Kushina's eyes had been large pools of ocean blue and Minato's had been narrowed and more of a darker blue, Naruko's looked like a perfect blend of the two, giving her a very feline look. Coupled with the smooth lines of her jaw, high cheekbones, slim neck, thin eyebrows and the famed Uzumaki red hair, Naruko was already a rare beauty. If this was an indication of things to come then men from all over Fire Country and maybe even beyond would be falling over themselves for a chance to court the young lady.

"That's definitely her. There's no mistaking it." Kakashi muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Tenten asked, confused.

Kakashi realised his mistake. "Nothing, Tenten. Keep your eyes on her at all times and make sure to stay out of sight. We don't want to scare her. Our orders are to shadow her only." Kakashi discretely bit his thumb and reached down to his side where he summoned Pakkun. He turned to the little pug. "Pakkun, I need you to go to the Hokage and tell him we've found Naruko."

"Sure thing." The dog nodded before racing away across the rooftops.

Kakashi turned back to the market where Naruto was going from stall to stall, examining each of the wares in turn with the look of someone who knew what they wanted and would accept no substitute. She picked up some of the foodstuffs, looking at it closely and if it passed her rigorous screening process, she then bought it and moved on, never buying more than one thing from any one stall.

As she went about her business, Kakashi couldn't help but notice the way she moved. No, not in a perverted way. Naruko's entire demeanour simply screamed "self-control". Her every twitch seemed to be carefully thought out and perfectly executed and she seemed aware of all everything within her immediate vicinity. Kakashi found this fascinating. Such behaviour was usually only seen in the most experienced of Jounin or sometimes in veteran samurai. For a civilian to be able to carry themselves with such complete control was amazing. What was even more amazing was the fact that he couldn't read her at all. Usually he could tell what people were thinking or feeling by the subtle twitched in their face or their body or their eyes but Naruko gave away nothing. Her face was completely calm and controlled. The closest thing to an emotion she showed was the very slight downturn at the corners of her mouth, not enough to be a full frown but enough to show that she wasn't the pleasant or friendly type of calm. She was the "Just get out of my way and leave me alone" calm.

"Guys, stay on her but don't let her know you're following her." Kakashi ordered as Naruko finished up her shopping and headed towards the exit. The four ninja leapt from rooftop to rooftop, their eyes locked on the beautiful redhead making her way through the throngs of people. The Genin in particular seemed to be watching her closer than was necessary. They'd been searching high and low for this girl for the better part of a week and they weren't about to loose her now!

They followed her through the village, the surroundings becoming more and more run down as they approached the less well off sections of the village. This place had more litter, a few boarded up windows and even some shops of questionable innocence.

Suddenly, Naruko turned off the main road and into a little side street mostly filled with boxes except for a little café called Nemu's Café. It was tiny and not the cleanest place but seemed nice enough. The ninja actually had to drop down from the rooftops and take shelter in the alley across the street from the café where they could see through the window without giving themselves away.

* * *

Naruko walked up to the counter where a teenage girl who looked to be a few years older than her sat on a stool, reading a magazine as she absently blew her bubblegum. She looked up as Naruko approached.

"A roll and scone, please." Naruko asked politely. The slightly older teen nodded and went to put her order together as Naruko took a seat at one of the small tables, setting her bag of groceries down at her side. She idly tapped her fingers on the wood as she waited. About five minutes later, the waitress arrived with her order, which she took with a nod of thanks before digging in.

It was particularly tasty, Naruko thought. It was one of the reasons she liked this place, other than it being quiet, out of the way and tolerant of the fact that she ate there. As was her custom, she covered the scone in hot sauce. She always did have a taste for spicy things, the spicier the better.

When she finished, she had just got up to the counter to pay when the door was kicked open. Three burly men charged in, their faces covered by balaclavas and in their hands were clutched wicked looking knives. They spread out, with two covering the two or three patrons and the third heading straight for the counter where the waitress was huddled, terrified.

"Open that till and give us all the money, now!" He barked, brandishing his knife at her. The near hysterical girl scrambled to comply, her fingers shaking madly as she attempted to work the buttons on the register. After a few tries she finally managed to succeed and shoved the few notes that had been inside towards the robber who stuffed them inside his coat pocket.

The other two had been going for the customers, ordering them to empty their watches, wallets and jewellery into the bags they carried.

"Oho!" One exclaimed when he reached Naruko, his eyes raking up and down her body. "Look what we have here. A cute little redhead all by her lonesome. How about it, baby, put your money in the bag like a nice little girl?" He asked, a smirk evident in his voice as he proffered the bag towards her.

The other one who had been harassing the customers snorted from across the room. "Look at her clothes, idiot. I doubt she even has enough to pay for whatever it is she ate here."

"That's no problem." The man smirked as he sauntered up to Naruko, who just stared at him impassively. Wrapping one arm around her tiny waist, he pulled her close, his knife teasing the tight fabric of her shirt that stretched between her breasts. "I'm sure we can work out some _other_ kind of payment, can't we, sugar?"

"I suggest you let me go." Naruko advised calmly, as if this were an everyday occurrence.

The man tilted his head as if contemplating it before shaking his head. The hand around her waist slithered up until it cupped her breast through her thin t-shirt which the robber enjoyed all the more when he realised she wasn't wearing a bra. "Nah. We're gonna have some _fun _tonight, Red."

Naruko sighed resignedly.

Her hand flashed up to wrap around the hand holding the knife and she twisted under his arm. The man cried out as his face impacted the solid wood of the table with a loud thud, causing him to see stars as his arm was jerked so far behind his back that he feared it would be ripped out of its socket. He screamed in pain as Naruko grabbed his hair and pulled his head back so she could speak into his ear.

"I did warn you."

She slammed his head against the table, breaking his nose and knocking him out at the same time.

"Hey!"

Naruko looked up to see the other robber coming at her. She grabbed the empty sauce bottle from the table and launched it right at him, shattering the thick glass against his face. The man's legs flew out from underneath him and he fell to the floor, unconscious just as the third criminal came running forward from the counter.

Naruko let go of the man she had pinned to the table and turned to meet the attack head on as the large man brought his knife down in a reverse grip. In one fluent motion, Naruko's two hands wrapped around his wrist and she pulled him over into a perfect hip toss, slamming him into the tiled floor with enough force to make the entire café shake.

Naruko brushed a strand of red hair behind her ear, turning to the young waitress who was peeking over the counter, tear streaks running down her face. "You should call ninja in to apprehend these three." She laid her money on the counter, grabbed her groceries and left the café, not noticing the four ninja in the shadow of the alley across the street.

* * *

Kakashi let go of Tenten and Kiba's arms. The two young ninja had attempted to rush the café when the three robbers started raiding the place. Technically, they should have acted the second the criminals started brandishing the knives but Kakashi had wanted to see how Naruko could handle herself. If he was needed, he could have been in that café and laid out those three lowlifes in a second but it appeared that his interference wasn't required. He thought so. A girl as good looking as Naruko had to have learned to take care of herself living on the streets. And she took care of herself very well it seemed, he noted with pride in his sensei's daughter.

"Let's go." He told them, directing them towards the path Naruko took.

"But what about those three?" Kiba asked, looking back at the café, talking about the criminals within.

_Poof_! A clone appeared beside Kakashi and headed for the cafe. "Don't worry about them. Our mission is to shadow Naruko. C'mon." They took to the roofs as they continued to follow Naruko into further into the run down section of the village.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Tenten called as they flew across the rooftops. "What happens next? Do we talk with this girl or what?"

"Hokage-sama only ordered us to follow her, not engage her in any way." Kakashi answered, his eye not leaving Naruko's back.

"So our mission is just to stalk this girl through the village?" Sasuke asked, quite annoyed. He hadn't been searching all over the village and talked with what had to be every single person in the village only to not meet the girl who demanded so much attention.

"Your mission was to find her so that _I _may talk to her, Sasuke." The four ninja stumbled ungracefully to a stop and turned to see Sarutobi Hiruzen standing atop a pole near them. The old man leapt off the pole and onto their roof silently.

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi exclaimed, surprised. "I didn't even sense you coming."

"Well I do have some experience with sneaking around, Kakashi." Sarutobi replied with a smirk as the veteran Jounin blushed, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Of course, sir. I suppose you're here to talk with her?"

Sarutobi nodded, surprising the Genin. Usually if someone as important as the Hokage wanted to talk with someone he'd summon them to his office. If he was taking time out of his busy schedule to come and meet someone at their home (Or wherever it was that this homeless girl lived) it must have been important.

"What are we waiting for then?" Kiba asked as he prepared to take off after Naruko again. The Hokage's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Sorry, Kiba, but this conversation is both extremely personal and classified." Sarutobi told the young Inuzuka with a smile.

That surprised the three Genin a great deal. What was so secret that the Hokage needed to talk about with a civilian that but was too important for ninja to hear? The mystery surrounding Uzumaki just became a whole lot more intriguing.

"What? So we turn this village over searching for this girl and we don't even get to see how this whole thing ends!?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi barked but stopped when Sarutobi raised a hand, cutting him off. The older ninja turned to the last loyal Uchiha in the village.

"Sasuke, there are many times when a mission doesn't go the way you want it to go. Sometimes it is simply an order to pull back, to let a suspect go, or even when orders to attack a target are given. This is one of those times. The things I need to talk to Naruko about are not only very personal but classified too. Plus I don't think she'd appreciate it much if she found out that ninja have been going around asking questions about her then following her home. The questions alone may hurt her chances of finding work given what she does for a living. Approaching her by myself would be best." Sarutobi said kindly but sternly; a leader giving his soldier an order.

Sasuke backed down but the scowl on his face told them he wasn't happy about it.

Sarutobi looked at Kakashi. "Come to my office tomorrow for the debriefing. I'd better catch up to Naruko before we lose her again." With that he vanished from the roof, leaving behind Kakashi with some rather let down students.

"Don't let it upset you. This is our job and you did it wonderfully. I think it's easy to say that this mission is a success." He said with a smile, trying to cheer them up.

"Yeah, we did kick ass with this mission, didn't we?" Kiba said with a chuckle, his boasting breaking the mood like he intended.

Tenten chuckled and smacked his shoulder lightly. "Learn some modesty, you braggart."

"Ain't bragging if it's true, babe." He grinned, buffing his nails on his jacket.

Kakashi shook his head with a fond smile at his two students. "Let's break up for the day. We'll get in some training before the debriefing tomorrow then get another mission."

The team parted ways but even though they had been a little appeased with not being able to see the mission through to the very end, they each had one question running through their minds.

What was the mystery behind Uzumaki Naruko?

* * *

Sarutobi shadowed the young redhead through the bad part of town, noting that she seemed completely at ease amidst the rougher edges of society. She eventually paused outside an alley beside an abandoned apartment building and glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Sarutobi actually had to scramble to hid when her eyes snapped up to the rooftops, not thinking a civilian would have mind enough to watch for ninja on the roofs.

He had a moment of shock when she looked directly at the group of shadows he hid amongst, her icy eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the rooftop. Seemingly finding nothing out of the ordinary, she turned and vanished into the alley where she slid open a camouflaged door in the fence and disappeared into the courtyard behind the apartments, vanishing from his line of sight. Sarutobi leapt to an adjacent building where he saw something surprising.

A shack was built atop the middle apartment and he hadn't even noticed it before. Its positioning on the roof hid it from prying eyes from below and it appeared to blend in with the tarnished properties around it, camouflaging it from prying eyes on the roofs around it. This place had been built by a ninja, it was obvious but by the look of ware on the wood that made up the home said that it had been there for years before Naruko was born.

He watched as Naruko ascended a set of rickety concrete stairs behind the buildings before disappearing into the old shack, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Naruko placed her groceries on the coffee table, taking out the frozen goods and placing them in the freezer lest they thaw. Stretching, she rolled her shoulder, feeling the pain from a few days ago gone. She fished around in her back pocket for a moment before withdrawing a very dog-eared little black book. Flipping it open, she flicked the pages until she came to the most recently used page. The book was filled with names, places, phone numbers, dates, times, prices and small comments on each of the jobs she had taken that entire year, with small ticks next to the ones she had completed while a few more jobs were left unmarked. Looking, she noted that her next client was Mrs. Hashimako Uzumi, the owner of a small diner. Uzumi-san wanted Naruko to help her set up a new set of hotplates as well as building a counter to set them up. The pay would be generous and would see her living comfortably for the next month or two. The only problem, she saw in her notes, was that Uzumi-san had no tools which she could borrow. That was okay, she had her own set. It was one of the first things she bought when she started taking these jobs.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Naruko froze. In the ten years she had called this place home, that door had never once been knocked. One of the most crucial things she ever did was make sure that _no one_ knew where she lived. If a client wanted to talk to her, she went to them and of one of her current clients knew someone who might have work for her, she went to meet them. She had no friends that she could invite over and she had never even given romance a thought so that explanation was out. She was the only person who knew where she lived and no one knew about the Shack.

Meaning her door should never be knocked.

The question now was what would she do. Would she open it? Who could it be? What would they want? Despite her cool composure, she couldn't help but feel a little sliver of anger and unease. The Shack was her home, her sanctuary and had been since she was a little girl. She didn't like the idea of strangers invading the one place she called her own. Here she could do what she wanted, say what she wanted and be who she wanted to be, away from the eyes of the village.

Slowly and silently, she went to her kitchen and withdrew from a drawer an old but very sharp knife. Holding it in a reverse grip behind her back, she inched towards the door, her bare feet pattering silently on the threadbare carpets that covered her floor, inching around the spots she knew were creaky, and took hold of the door handle, gathering her nerves. She redoubled her grip on her knife. Took a few deep breaths. Then jerked the door open.

She stopped short, her eyes widened in an expression that would have been comical if you'd known her long enough, as she stared dumbly at the person in front of her. She didn't recognise the face but she recognised the robes. You'd have to be blind not to.

After a few long moments she finally managed a simple, "Hello, Hokage-sama."

* * *

**A/N: There you go. I'm actually rather excited about this story and was surprised by how much just seemed to flow from my head, into the keyboard and onto the screen. **

**Just a few things I'll comment on. Tenten is one year younger than cannon just as Naruko is one year older than cannon, meaning the Kyuubi attack took place a year earlier too.**

**Naruko never attended the academy but if she did she would have graduated in Lee and Neji's class the year before this story is set.**

**Her freakish strength is NOT****through chakra manipulation; it is all her. Her strength is one of the very few exaggerations I will use in this story. It will be one of her key characteristics, just like Tsunade's strength and Lee and Gai's speed.**

**Tenten is on Team 7 as is Kiba (Obviously). She and Sasuke were the top students in their class with Kiba being the one with the lowest scores.**

**The Military Police, after the Uchiha Massacre, was taken over by other ninja to police the village.**

**The village is more of a military base than a village with ninja and the ninja system has a more military personae.**

**Well, that's all for now. The next chapter may be a while what with my other updates and the size of the chapters. Then again, it may be only a week. Who knows?**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, not me.

**Just a little note. I changed the last chapter slightly. Nothing big, the only difference from the first draft was that instead of punching straight through the wall, Naruko only creates a small crater. Beyond that nothing has changed.**

**CHAPTER 2**

Now in her life Naruko had learned to roll with the punches so to speak. If something went wrong or if something strange happened she learned to adapt to the change and move on, never giving it a second thought. Her way of thinking wasn't 'expect the unexpected'. It was more along the lines of 'go with the flow'. It made life simple.

However, having a man who is both a legendary ninja and the leader of her village (Whom she had never even seen before, mind you) showing up on her doorstep in the middle of the day was something that gave even Naruko cause to pause for a moment.

"Hello, Naruko." The Sandaime greeted back with a kind smile.

There was a long and awkward pause as they each searched for something to say to break the silence. Really, it was that strange.

"Well…" Naruko ventured slowly. "This…is an unexpected occurrence…"

Sarutobi chuckled as he removed his hat, scratching his balding head. "I suppose from your point of view, yes it is."

There was another pause before Naruko eventually said, "I should probably ask this. Are you sure you've got the right house?"

Sarutobi smiled somewhat bemusedly. "Yes, Naruko, I have the right house. I have wanted to talk to you for some time now."

Finally managing to compose herself, Naruko calmly asked, "Is that so? May I ask what this concerns?"

Sarutobi wasn't surprised by the guarded reply. Not many people were comfortable when a ninja came looking for you and when that ninja was the leader of a village full of other ninja it had to be suspicious. "I assure you, Naruko, you are in no trouble. I merely wish to speak with you for a while."

Not fully satisfied with the non answer, Naruko somewhat reluctantly pushed the door open fully and gestured inside. "I suppose you'd like to come inside then?"

"Yes, please." Sarutobi nodded in thanks and stepped over the threshold, his hat respectfully in his hand. Naruko closed the door behind him and walked over to the kitchen area, depositing her knife in the drawer once more.

"Take a seat. You'll have to forgive me if I don't offer much in the way of refreshments past a glass of water." She said. "I'm afraid my food budget doesn't leave much for entertaining guests."

"Thank you but I'm fine." Sarutobi replied sitting at one end of the sagging couch.

Naruko re-entered the sitting room proper and stood across from table, her arms folded across her chest for lack of anything else to do. Talking with the Hokage was one thing. Sitting beside him was another matter entirely. The fact that the couch was the only place to sit didn't help matters. "You mentioned something about wanting to speak with me?"

"Indeed." Sarutobi said, mentally noting that Naruko wasn't much for small talk. He folded his hands in his lap as he leaned back into the couch. He was silent for a moment as he thought about how best to start. "To be frank, Naruko, there is much to talk about, covering many topics. I'm not entirely sure where to start."

"Then the only place to start would be at the beginning, Hokage-sama." Naruko respectfully replied.

Sarutobi liked this girl. She didn't cower in his presence, simper, show him any kind of favouritism beyond the respect his station afforded him and she took control of the conversation. It seemed that Uzumaki Naruko wasn't one to back down before others. "Then at the beginning we shall start. The best place to start would be the orphanage you grew up in. Why did you run away?"

"Why the interest, Hokage-sama?"

"Please, Naruko, there is much I need to talk to you about and to do that I need to understand what has happened in your life. I swear that's the only reason I'm asking." Sarutobi swore sincerely.

Naruko looked at him long and hard before simply saying, "There's not much to tell. I grew tired of the solitude I lived through while under their care."

"Solitude?" Sarutobi asked, confused. "What are you talking about? There were over two hundred other orphans there during your time as well as over forty care staff."

"Sometimes it can be lonelier in an entire crowd of people than it can be in an empty room, Hokage-sama." Naruko replied softly. "While the caretakers looked after me as I was growing up, they did nothing beyond that. If I was scared, sad or lonely, they did nothing to cheer me up and the other orphans often ridiculed me, implicated me when they got into trouble and said it was my fault, a fact which the caretakers took at face value even when there was no viable proof, and barred me from all toys, games and outings. I quickly grew tired of it and set out on my own." She finished with a shrug.

Sarutobi kept his face expressionless but inside he was frowning. When he had left Naruko at the orphanage he'd left specific orders that she was to be looked after and that any mistreatment would be grounds for imprisonment at best, execution at worst. The thought that the caretakers would show Naruko the bare minimum of care hadn't even crossed his mind, as foolish as it was.

Naruko, unaware of the Hokage's thoughts, continued her story. "After I left I lived on the streets for a month or so, surviving on what others had thrown away. Eventually I found this place and since then I've been living here, taking odd jobs in the village for money."

Sarutobi was silent for several seconds before finally saying, "I'm sorry that you had to endure that, Naruko. That is no way for a child to be raised."

Naruko just shrugged nonchalantly. "It wasn't your fault, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, I'm afraid it was."

Taken aback but concealing it well, Naruko coolly replied, "Please explain."

Sarutobi sighed heavily, unable to meet the girl's eyes. "I was the one who delivered you to the orphanage when you were a baby. I personally handed you over to the caretakers there, signed the paperwork hell I even tucked you in before I left. Therefore your suffering at the orphanage was a direct result of my actions." He finally looked up at her.

Her face was an icy mask, giving away nothing of her thoughts or feelings regarding the revelation. Her breathing was regular, her body relaxed yet perfectly still. The only indication that she heard him at all was a slight narrowing of the eyes. "If you were the one to deliver me to the orphanage then you must have been aware of the circumstances that made me an orphan, knew who my parents were and if you, the _Hokage_, personally delivered me to the orphanage then there must be a reason beyond mere kindness. I would like to hear those answers."

'_Girl's as sharp as a senbon.'_ Sarutobi thought, impressed with the redhead's ability to discern that much information from his short statement so quickly, all of it true as well. Deciding to be straight with her, Sarutobi calmly replied, "You're correct on all three counts, Naruko. I know of the story of how you came to be an orphan...and I knew your parents."

Naruko stayed silent, waiting for the old man to continue.

Sarutobi sighed and stood from the couch, pacing a little as he thought about how to answer. Ever since he sent out Kakashi's team to look for Naruko, he'd been trying to plan out the conversation with very little success. What would he say? What could he say? How did you go about telling a girl that you have never met since you dropped her off at an orphanage where she was miserable about the kinds of secrets you knew about her?

Thinking hard, he let out a breath and sunk back onto the chair. Naruko had neither moved nor said anything, her icy gaze following the Sandaime.

"Before I can answer that," Sarutobi began slowly, considering each word. "You need to understand the back story behind it all. You know when your birthday is, correct?"

To his shock and horror, Naruko shook her head. "No. I never saw any files about my birth and whenever I asked I was ignored."

Sarutobi closed his eyes, silently making a note to visit the orphanage and communicate his displeasure in person. "Well what they should have told you is that your birthday is October 10th. If you didn't already know you're fourteen now, fifteen in a few months. Do you know what major even happened thirteen years ago?"

"The Kyuubi attacked the village." Naruko replied instantly. Everyone knew that.

Sarutobi nodded. "Indeed, it attacked without warning or provocation. We scrambled to form a defence but against something like the Kyuubi even our vast numbers were little more than a stalling tactic. That was until the Yondaime Hokage came up with a plan to defeat the beast. The general story is that the Yondaime killed the beast, losing his own life in the process."

Naruko nodded slowly. This was common knowledge.

"That was a lie."

Naruko's shoulders went slack as she stared at the Hokage in surprise.

Sarutobi continued on. "A Bijuu is simply a mass of volatile sentient chakra; it can't be killed. So the Yondaime devised a plan to trap it. I don't know the particulars but it seemed that he had been preparing for something like the Kyuubi attack for a while. He presented a scroll which he said held the details of one of the most complex fuuinjutsu ever created which he called the Shiki Fuujin. The drawback is that sealing a Bijuu as powerful as the Kyuubi into an inanimate object or an adult is impossible as the destructive chakra that makes up a Bijuu would tear it apart from the inside out. As a result the only hope for the village's survival lay in sealing the Bijuu into an--"

"Infant." Naruko finished quietly, her blue eyes wide.

'_If there was any doubt before then it's gone now. This girl really is Minato's daughter.'_ Sarutobi thought, impressed by the teen's insight. He nodded wearily. "Yes." He said quietly, his eyes shadowed. "Only a newborn's chakra system is capable of adapting to a Bijuu's chakra so that they wouldn't suffer chakra poisoning and they would have a better chance of preventing demonic possession if they had become unconsciously familiar with a Bijuu's chakra. The Yondaime knew this and so he very reluctantly was forced to seal the demon in the belly of a child that had been born that very same day, thus saving the village."

Naruko looked away quickly, her brows furrowed and her breathing slightly short. She swallowed with difficulty and looked back up at Sarutobi in a mixture of disbelief, anger and confusion. "And dare I hazard a guess that the child he chose was... me?" She asked shakily, looking at the Hokage from the side of her eye.

Sarutobi sighed deeply. And nodded.

Naruko tore her eyes from the old man in her home, her breathing now coming in sharp, shaky pants. A nervous cough escaped her and she ran a hand through her hair, grasping the strands at the back of her neck as she bit her lip. Her eyes darted about the room looking at nothing in particular as she paced quickly, her free hand clenching and unclenching for lack of anything else to do. If anyone had been familiar with her mannerisms, they would have been very concerned for the girl. This was probably the most emotion Naruko had shown in years but unfortunately the emotions were anything but pleasant.

'_H-How? How could I have a d-demon sealed in me? It couldn't be possible, the Hokage had to be lying! But why would he? What would he gain from telling me this? Damn it, why the Hell did he tell me this!?' _She turned wide eyes to the ninja who was watching her with worry. She seemed to be going into a state of shock but before he could calm her she spoke, her voice quiet and fast. "It can't be true. You're lying, it can't be true. I don't have a demon sealed in me, I can't have."

"Naruko..." Sarutobi tried, reaching for the girl.

"You're lying!" The usually composed redhead shouted, cutting off anything the Hokage would have said. _'He had to be. I don't have a demon in me, I don't!'_

Sarutobi sighed as the girl started to hyperventilate. He had been afraid that she'd react like this but he didn't know her so he didn't know how to respond to it. Instead he approached her. Naruko gasped and flattened herself against the wall as if hoping it would swallow her whole. Sarutobi flinched. The girl was shaking violently but rooted to the wall, her icy blue eyes wide and fearful. She almost looked like she was afraid to be hit or something. As slowly and non-threateningly as he could, Sarutobi got down on one knee before the teen, his hands spread open to show that he wasn't a threat. "May I?" He asked, gesturing towards her t-shirt. Naruko didn't say anything, her shaking eyes staring down at him. Sarutobi slowly lifted the front of her t-shirt just enough so that her bellybutton was exposed and pressed two fingers to her flat stomach, trying to touch her as little as possible for fear of her reaction. He lightly pushed his chakra into her and slowly but surely black markings began to spread over tanned flesh.

Naruko stared at her stomach in both fascination and horror as the tattooed ink slowly faded into view, blurred edges becoming slowly defined until the black seal glared from her olive skin.

Her denial, fear and anger left her like a flood, leaving her in a confused daze. She wasn't aware of the Hokage gently guiding her over to the couch before placing her down and heading off to the kitchen to see if she had any tea to settle her nerves. Her fingers lightly pressed against the darkness of the seal, rubbing it slightly as if hoping that it would rub off and that this was all a mistake. She watched the seal slowly fade back to nothing but her fingers still traced the area it had once occupied, the image still vivid and raw in her mind's eye.

"Here." Sarutobi's gentle voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked up to see a cup of hot green tea before her.

With a nod of thanks she took the cup and sipped, feeling her unease dissipating. Her hands framed the ceramic mug, relishing in the warmth that was emitted as she stared at her reflection. "I'm sorry for the outburst, Hokage-sama." Naruko mumbled, not looking at the man. She was mentally chastising herself, having not lost control like that since she had been a little girl.

Sarutobi's soft chuckle surprised her. "My dear, I think you were fully justified a moment of hysteria considering what you've been told. I feel lost and confused, I can't imagine what it must be like for you."

Naruko took another sip, sighing softly at the familiar sense of warmth and comfort as the hot liquid slid down her throat. "It was a surprise. I'm still having trouble believing it." Her hand drifted down to touch her stomach through her t-shirt. She looked up at the Hokage, her rigid self-control quickly returning to her. "Why now? Why tell me this now after so long?"

Sarutobi smiled ironically. "Well for starters, we couldn't find you to tell you."

Naruko forced herself not to flush in embarrassment.

Sarutobi chuckled again, knowing how she was feeling. "It was my intention to tell you eventually, this was of course information you needed to know. When you went missing from the orphanage I sent out search teams to locate you but we couldn't find any traces and the search was eventually called off. In a village the size of Konoha it was easy for a little girl to get lost in the hustle and bustle. I heard rumours over the years, of a little girl with whisker marks but they were vague and far between. I always kept hope that you were alive and well."

Unfortunately for Sarutobi, the cogs in Naruko's mind had started back up after her small outburst and quickly returned to their previous, lighting fast selves. The information she had was quickly sorted, sieved through and evaluated until she realised a few things the Hokage would have rather put off for a few years.

Naruko took a large sip of her tea, leaning back into her couch and crossing one leg over the other. "There's more, isn't there? More to what you've told me?"

Sarutobi tilted his head slightly. "What makes you say that?"

"Let's look closely at the information we have." She said calmly. "The Yondaime. He apparently chose me to be the container for the Bijuu that attacked the village, sealing all its power within me. He wouldn't have chosen just anyone for this because it would be a tremendous leap of faith to trust a random child not to abuse that power. I also highly doubt that in the middle of a battle to save the village, he would know that a woman gave birth to a child, the only one to be born within the last few hours during the attack, meaning he either took a special interest in _my_ birth or he ordered vital support away from the battle to check the maternity wards for a freshly born child. I also have yet to hear about my parents who you claim to know personally, meaning they must have been high-profile. From what little I've read Namikaze-sama wasn't one to abuse his authority or force his people into doing anything they didn't want to do. This means that he most likely didn't order my parents to give up their child for the sealing or maybe in a moment of desperation he did? This also fails to explain the lack of preparation for my care after the fact." She placed her now empty cup on the coffee table and leaned forward on her knees, her fingers threaded together as she stared at the Hokage-intently. "So the questions remain. Why did the Yondaime pick me, how did he know that I was the only child who fitted the requirements for the sealing, why did he place such faith in me, who were my parents, how did he convince them to give me up for the sealing, what happened to them and why was I left alone in the orphanage if I was such a high-profile person?"

Naruko's quick processing of all the facts coupled with the very quick rebound from her outburst staggered Sarutobi, catching him off guard. He didn't expect her to be able to read so much into what he'd told her this much. This was the kind of analytical skills most often seen in those from the Interrogation division or maybe even the strategists. What would he tell her? He'd wanted to keep some secrets for at least a little while longer. She had heard so much already but was she ready for the full truth?

"I'm waiting, Hokage-sama." Naruko's voice broke through his thoughts.

Sarutobi took a deep breath, silently wishing for his trusty pipe but unwilling to light up for fear of offending his host. Still, he could use a smoke at a time like this. He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "You're an incredibly insightful girl, Naruko. You'll do well in life I'm sure." He looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of how to say this and after a few moments spoke, "Your questions are valid, Naruko, but if I tell you then you must understand that this information mustn't get out. Not yet. It could very well be the spark that ignites another war if it got out. Do you promise not to speak of this without my express consent if I tell you what you want to know?"

Naruko's eyes narrowed slightly but she knew that the Hokage wouldn't have gave her the ultimatum if it wasn't important. "I promise, Hokage-sama."

"Good." Sarutobi sighed. "Now as the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato had many enemies, mostly from Iwa but there were some other places too that held enmity towards him. His life was in constant danger, as was the lives of anyone he associated with. I can tell you that in the months following the war there were a little over twenty assassination attempts on his life, mostly by teams of trained Jounin. This made socialising very difficult but regardless of this he still went about his life as normal. When the Kyuubi attacked he knew that as the Hokage he couldn't ask any family to do something he himself would never do and as such he sacrificed everything he had to save the village."

"This is all very interesting, Hokage-sama, but what does Namikaze-sama's personal life have to do with me?" Naruko asked.

"My dear, it has everything to do with you." Sarutobi said, further confusing the teen. "What nobody else knew that two years before the Kyuubi attack the Yondaime found love with one of his newest Jounin, a kunoichi from the former Land of Whirlpool. They quickly fell in love and a little over a year later the kunoichi became pregnant. What she didn't tell us what that she suffered from a rare genetic disease that made birthing a child extremely dangerous, almost a suicidal endeavour. She kept this knowledge a secret, knowing that many would try to dissuade her from carrying the pregnancy to term, even though it would mean her death. When the Kyuubi attacked, the kunoichi went into labour and a few hours later she gave birth to a healthy baby but sadly died not long after. When--"

"Wait."

Sarutobi blinked at the interruption and looked down at Naruko who was hunched forward in her chair, her hair covering her eyes. "Naruko?"

"You don't have to say any more." She said softly. She rose from her chair and slowly walked over to the small window that looked out over the village. The sun was high in a cloudless sky, flooding the small shack with light. She folded her arms under her chest.

"I thought you wanted answers to your questions, Naruko?" Sarutobi asked. What was going on?

"And I have them, Hokage-sama. Well, most of them anyway." She said, not turning back from the window.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

Now Naruko did turn. Backlit by the window Naruko was wreathed in shadow, the sun's light glinting off her hair, framing her face in a fiery halo and her icy eyes glowing in the darkness. "He was my father, wasn't he?"

Sarutobi chocked on his own breath and coughed roughly. When he finally got himself back under control he stared at the girl in shock. "H-How did you know that!?" He near demanded, more surprised than angry.

Naruko gave a small shrug. "It wasn't that hard to figure out once you gave me all the information. You said that the Yondaime would never demand of someone else what he himself would never do; in this case providing a child for the sealing. If find it hard to believe that if the Yondaime was as noble as you say he was that he wouldn't give up his own child for the sealing. You also said that I was the only child born the night of the Kyuubi attack then said that Namikaze-sama's lover gave birth that very same night." Her head tilted to the side slightly and although her expression didn't change Sarutobi got the impression that she was smirking at him. "Two plus two equals four."

Sarutobi palmed his face with a groan. He'd made a mistake. A mistake that he couldn't afford to make again. He had underestimated the girl because of her less than privileged upbringing and forgot that just because she was poor didn't mean she was stupid. He should have realised that within five minutes of talking to the girl. She'd already showed an incredibly sharp mind, finding intricate details in seemingly meaningless conversation so far.

'_Ibiki would probably buy me an entire first edition collection of Icha Icha to get his hands on this girl.' _Sarutobi thought as he stared at the girl through his fingers. He sighed resignedly as he let his arm drop back to his side. "You're an incredibly sharp girl, Naruko. Just like your parents."

"I'm correct then?"

"Yes." Sarutobi nodded. "Minato Namikaze was and is your father."

"And my mother? What was her name?" Naruko asked, a sliver of pleading entering her voice. These were answers to questions she had spent her entire life asking.

Sarutobi smiled a fond smile, his mind taking him back to years gone by. "Her name was Uzumaki Kushina and a more beautiful or more passionate woman you couldn't find anywhere. You know, except for your slightly sharper features and brighter eyes you look just like her. Same red hair and tomboyish look as well." He chuckled.

Naruko turned back to the window to hide the light coat of red that made its way to her whiskered cheeks. A swelling in her chest seemed to warm her entire body and her face softened noticeably. The knowledge that she looked just like her mother was... heartening or maybe pleasant or... she didn't know how to describe it but for the first time in a long while Naruko felt _happy_. Not that she'd been feeling depressed or down but she hadn't felt actually happy in a long time. Numb was probably the best way to describe her usual state. Free of emotion but not emotionless. It was like she placed them aside until they were needed later on.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruko said softly, her back still to him. "You have no idea how much that means to me." But slowly a frown began to slide onto her face, her features once more hardening into the icy armour that she wore so well. While she didn't want to diminish the feeling of the moment, there were still questions that had yet to be answered.

Turning from the window, she face the Hokage, her expression again one of formality. "Hokage-sama, if Namika--" She took a breath. "If _my father_ chose me for the sealing then I assume that he also took the precaution of making arraignments for what happened to me afterwards? What happened there? If I was such a high priority individual considering my parentage and the fact that I hold the Kyuubi then why was I placed in the orphanage? Wouldn't it be more prudent to have placed me somewhere else?" A sudden thought came to her. "And why haven't I heard of this before? Surely something as important as me holding the Kyuubi would have been common knowledge?"

Sarutobi jumped on the last question first. "I passed a law after the attack stating that the knowledge that you were a Jinchuuriki, that's a host of a Tailed Beast, was a secret of the highest order and that any who spoke of it would be punished severely. The younger generations were told that your father died killing the Kyuubi thus keeping your condition a secret." He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he looked painfully at Naruko. "I'd hoped that by doing this you would have grown up with some semblance of a normal childhood. Sadly that was not to be. While they never spoke of your burden or raised a hand to you the villagers didn't treat you with the respect you deserve or the respect anyone deserves for that matter."

"You don't have to tell me how I was treated, Hokage-sama, I was there for all of it." Naruko said, ignoring the man's slight wince. "What I want to know is what precautions my father had set up to protect me after the sealing. Surely there was something?" She asked.

Sarutobi looked uncomfortable. "Before the sealing he had left this final request that you be viewed as the hero you were, that you were to be commended for your part in saving the village and by doing so he hoped that you would be taken care of by the village."

When Sarutobi said no more Naruko prompted, "And then? He can't have though that would be enough, he must have taken into account that not everyone would honour his wishes? Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi looked away.

Naruko's eyebrows rose to her hairline and she opened her mouth to say something but the words wouldn't come out. Looking off to one side she took a breath to gather herself and wet her lips before glancing back at Sarutobi. "Tell me he wasn't that foolish." She said lowly.

Sarutobi looked imploringly at her. "Naruko, he thought that they would honour his wishes! He had no idea that they would treat you the way they have or that you'd grow up alone!"

Naruko let out a quick incredulous breath of air and shook her head, still not looking at the Sandaime. She worked her jaw and her fingers dug into her arms where they folded under her chest. She couldn't remember when she had last felt this agitated or annoyed and she quickly calmed herself before she got angry. Anger would achieve nothing.

She paced the small room, trying to burn off some of the feelings welling up inside her. "Namikaze Minato was praised as a hero in the last war. He was proclaimed a 'once in a generation genius' and his tactics and jutsu allowed him to almost single-handedly bring Iwa to their knees and end the war. He was elected as the Yondaime Hokage because of his skills and because the people loved him. He was commonly praised as the greatest ninja of our time. You told mee somehow foresaw that a disaster like the Kyuubi attack would befall Konoha and he planned ahead by creating what sounds to me like one of the most complicated sealing techniques of all time. He organised his ninja with expert precision to hold back the demon so that the civilians could get to the shelters then managed to place a very complicated seal on me before heading out to face the Kyuubi where he managed to hold the demon off long enough to complete his technique and seal it into me."

She stopped her pacing, staring up at the dark ceiling. Her eyes slid closed as she continued. "He managed to accomplish all this... and yet he couldn't foresee that _some_ people wouldn't honour his wishes? That some people who had lost their _families_ and _homes_ to the demon would set aside their grief and hail me as a hero... because he _asked_ them to?" A definite note of incredulousness entered her voice. Naruko shook her head as her eyes dropped to finally look at the Sandaime Hokage. "My father... was a damned fool."

"Naruko!" Sarutobi snapped reprovingly.

"What?" Naruko asked with a raised brow, completely unbowed by the Hokage's tone. "Can you say that his plan was foolproof? Or even remotely effective? Can you honestly say that his plan contained any of the finesse or foresight he was famed for? Instead of logic the man used blind faith to guide his actions. He had all those fail-safes and safeguards in place to protect the village but none to protect his child and I'm not only talking about possible threats from within the village but from without as well. I can't imagine that Iwa or indeed any of the other ninja villages were happy that Konoha had in its possession the Jinchuuriki of the most powerful Bijuu to walk the land. It was only pure luck that none have sent assassins after me to ensure that Konoha wouldn't have the power of the Kyuubi to call upon in the future." Naruko shook her head again. "As I said, the man was a damned fool."

Sarutobi looked at Naruko worriedly. This was not how he had wanted things to go.

Naruko saw his look and waved off his concerns. "Don't fret, Hokage-sama. I feel no different about the village or my father. I'm not about to start taking revenge on those that have wronged me or swear to make my father's sacrifice in vain but I'm also not about to have some miraculous revelation like swearing to protect the village to honour his sacrifice or something like that. The villagers ignore me as I ignore them. As for my father..." She sighed, looking down. "I don't hate him or even dislike him… but any respect I may have held for the man has been dashed."

Sarutobi sighed wearily. It was the best he could hope for he supposed. The girl was entitled to her opinion and since she held no ill will towards the village then there was nothing to worry about. He just hoped that with time her image of her father would improve.

"Now was there anything else you needed, Hokage-sama?" Naruko asked after a long silence. "I imagine that there was some reason beyond simply wanting to inform me of my heritage that has brought you here?" Naruko asked as she leaned against the counter. She glanced out the window to see the sun low it the sky casting orange light over the world. It was getting late into the evening.

Sarutobi shook his head. The girl was frighteningly accurate with her predictions. _'Forget a collection, Ibiki would probably buy me the majority shares in the Icha Icha publisher's company to get this girl apprenticed to him.'_ He thought. "As sharp as ever, Naruko. There is indeed a matter of great importance that pertains not only to you but to the safety of the entire world."

Naruko's brows arched in surprise. _'This day is turning out to be something else entirely.'_

Sarutobi folded his hands inside his robes as he began to pace, Naruko's cool eyes following his every step as he talked. "Over the last few years my former pupil, Jiraiya of the Sannin, has set up a network of information gatherers all over the world. It's one of the most advanced and widespread of its kind I'm told. With this network Konoha has benefited greatly, learning of attacks and enemy movement sometimes weeks in advance, allowing us to plan accordingly. He recently contacted me with some disturbing news. There is a freelance group calling themselves the Akatsuki operating within the Elemental Nations. We don't know where they are, who they are or what their goal is but what little we do know is concerning. It seems that they have been making discrete enquiries into other countries, building up their own network of contacts and spies in preparation for something. We haven't been able to find out what it is but we do know one thing." Sarutobi stopped and looked Naruko dead in the eye. "They're looking for the nine Bijuu and their Jinchuuriki. We don't know why but from past experiences with people hunting for demons we know that it won't bode well for anyone."

"And since I'm a Jinchuuriki that makes me a prime target for this Akatsuki." Naruko interpreted.

Sarutobi nodded grimly. "Yes. So far they've only been asking questions not taking action. Unfortunately we have no idea how long this will last until they make their move. We need to be prepared for when that happens."

"I assume you have a plan?" Naruko asked.

"Several. That's why I waited until I met you: I need your input. After all this decision will affect your life greatly."

"What are your ideas?" Naruko asked as she leaned against the wall.

Sarutobi lowered himself onto the couch, resting his elbows on his knees as he threaded his fingers before him. "The most obvious choice would be putting you into protective custody with a round the clock guard of several Anbu. You would be confined to an undisclosed location where you would be kept there until the danger passed, almost never being allowed to go outside or talk to anyone. This way if Akatsuki do attack then hopefully the Anbu can either kill them or hold them off long enough for backup to arrive."

"I'm not sure I'm content with that, Hokage-sama." Naruko said coolly, her eyes narrowing. Who would volunteer to become a prisoner?

"I thought you wouldn't." Sarutobi agreed. It would have been miraculous indeed if Naruko had agreed. "The second idea was for you to leave the village. We would provide you with a new identity, give you money to start a new life and allow you to leave without incident, allowing you to make your own decision of where you'd end up. This way you'd hopefully be hidden from Akatsuki and you'd be able to live a free life."

Naruko thought on it for a long time but shook her head. "As appealing as that sounds I don't believe the Elders would just allow me to walk through the gate and be on my way. Not only because they may not like the idea of the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi being left to their own devices but when the truth of my heritage eventually surfaces, and I hold no delusions that it won't, I can see them mobilizing everything they have to get the 'only child of the Yondaime' back into the village. Combine that with the uproar from Iwa and I'd be hunted by not only the Akatsuki but by two or more of the major ninja villages."

"Very good points." Sarutobi concurred. Secretly he was pleased with her rejection. Out of all the options he could come up with sending her out of the village was one of the last things he wanted to do. He promised Minato he'd protect his daughter and although he couldn't make good on that promise in the past he could at least try to make it up to her now. "There was one more suggestion I came up with but it is by far the most dangerous of the three."

"I'm listening." Naruko said patiently.

"The third idea was," Sarutobi proclaimed, his warm brown eyes meeting with Naruko glacial blues. "For you to be trained as a kunoichi of Konoha."

Once more Naruko's eyebrows vanished into her red hair and she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. After a moment she finally managed a, "Pardon?"

Sarutobi rose from the couch, clasping his hands behind his back as he went to stand before Naruko. "I propose that you be assigned to a Genin team where you will be taught the ninja arts. This would allow you to learn to defend yourself against the Akatsuki and any other threats when the time comes."

Naruko stared at Sarutobi for a long while before saying guardedly, "This isn't your attempt to harness the power of the Kyuubi is it, because if it is--"

Sarutobi cut her off with a raised hand. Her accusation stung but he reminded himself that she had every right to be a bit leery towards the idea. "No, Naruko, I would never do that. I only suggest that you learn to protect yourself. With Akatsuki on the move and when your parentage emerges then you'll become a big name in the ninja world and big names have big targets over them. If you do this you'll be able to look after yourself if worst comes to worst."

Naruko was silent as she contemplated the Sandaime's rather radical idea. She, a civilian, becoming a ninja? Of course civilians became ninja occasionally but that was when they were young and eligible for entry to the academy where they would be trained for years before they gained their hitai-ates if they were skilled enough. When she was very little she had thought a lot about what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her decision changed nearly every day, usually transcending the gender barrier and into areas where little girls didn't usually want to work. She's wanted to be everything from a dancer to a chef to an actress and even a professional wrestler once. She'd sometimes thought about becoming a kunoichi as well but when she left the orphanage to lead her own life she put such childish notions aside. She became a survivor, taking whatever work she could in order to live and when there was no work to be had she was forced to resort to scavenging. She became a handywoman, lived as a handywoman and expected to die as a handywoman. She would just be a small shadow in the background of the village and she doubted anyone would notice when she finally passed on. She was content with that having come to prefer to go unnoticed and unseen. If no one knew you where there then it hurt less when they looked right passed you as if you were a ghost. Plus she was comfortable by herself. She could probably be called a loner. She just liked her own company.

She didn't know what to make of the Sandaime's idea. A few times when she left the orphanage she had considered entering herself into the academy but a few things stopped her. The first was that to enter the academy you needed a sponsor, an adult who would register you. She didn't know why you needed one only that you did or you didn't get enrolled. The second reason she didn't attend was her lack of funds. To show that they were self-efficient the academy decided that their students had to provide all the equipment and books themselves. That kind of splashing out far exceeded any price a homeless orphan could or would pay. The third reason was that she simply didn't have the time. When she started taking odd jobs around the village people took advantage of the fact that she was young and desperate for money and so they paid her with sub par wages. That money was quickly used up buying necessities like food and clothing. She had been forced to grow up exceedingly quickly so as to not be used like a tool. She quickly learned diplomacy and haggling, getting what she deserved from her work and the few times that a merchant tried to overcharge her she was quick to... _dissuade _them from the idea. That merchant from the market was a prime example. When it came to surviving she demanded to be treated as an equal and made sure she got it. When it didn't come to survival she didn't care how people saw her. Let them curse her very soul to the depths of Hell just as long as they didn't try to rip her off while they were doing it.

But this kunoichi plan. Would she take it? It was a decision that would change her life irreparably. This was military service, the kind you couldn't just back out of when you got tired of it. Ninja were entrusted with secrets and ninja leaders weren't adverse to arranging _accidents_ for those that they suspect would sell on those secrets. Plus there was the killing part. Could she take another person's life? Not in self-defence or in a moment of blind anger but a cool, calm premeditated fashion? Her father could and so could her mother but could she?

"That's..." She tried but words failed her. Looking up into the Hokage's eyes she said, "That's not something I can answer right away, Hokage-sama. There are simply too many factors to make my decision so rashly."

Sarutobi nodded in understanding. He'd figured as much. "I thought that might be the case. It is after all a momentous decision. You don't have to decide right now. You can have some time to think about your options and maybe even think of some ideas yourself. You can take as long as you--"

"Two weeks."

"Huh?" Sarutobi asked, confused.

Naruko withdrew from her pocket a little dog-eared book, the same one she had been reading when the Hokage had knocked on her door. It was her job list. "I have jobs scheduled for the next two weeks and I make it a point to never back out on a job. I'll spend the next two weeks considering what you've told me and get back to you with a decision after they are done."

"Are you sure?" Sarutobi asked. "You could have longer if you want."

"I'll only need the two weeks." Naruko said calmly as she tucked the little black book away again.

"Okay then." Sarutobi nodded. "I guess that's everything unless you have any questions?"

Naruko looked up. "Now that you mention it I do have one. How did you find me?"

"The Genin at Taguri's Fishmongers told their sensei your name and I asked them to look for you. You've proven to be quite a hard person to get a hold of." He smiled at her.

"That's strange." Naruko mumbled mostly to herself. "None of my clients have ever had any trouble contacting me."

"Yes well those we talked to seemed very hesitant to help my ninja find you."

Naruko blinked. _'Why wouldn't they help the ninja find me? They could have gotten into trouble for that.'_

"If there's nothing else?" Sarutobi asked, noticing how late it was.

Naruko blinked again, clearing her mind. "Nothing, Hokage-sama. I'll inform you of my decision in two weeks." When the Hokage turned away Naruko suddenly realised something. "Wait. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone of where I lived. I like to keep the location a secret. Besides me and now you no one else knows of this place and I would very much like to keep it that way."

"I can understand that." Sarutobi said as he swung his tri-point hat onto his head. He moved to the door. "Trust that not a soul will hear of this place's location from me." He looked over his shoulder at the young woman, a small smile playing about his lips. "In two weeks then, Naruko."

"Two weeks, Hokage-sama." Naruko replied, giving the ninja a small bow before he shuffled out of the Shack, the door closing softly behind him.

* * *

The next day after she finished her usual morning routine of getting cleaned up, eating a small breakfast and tidying up any mess she made in the process Naruko grabbed her toolbox, slid on her shoes and left the Shack, reapplying the self-made lock as she did so. Descending the stairs, she made her way to the little café across the village.

Izumi's Café was located just opposite a small park. It was a quaint little place that had a homey feel to it. With a small fenced court in front and flanked by a few small trees the place looked rather inviting. It was still early in the morning so there were no people around. Izumi-san said she'd wanted the hotplates up and running for the daily rush hence the early work hour but Naruko knew it was because she didn't want anyone to see the redhead anywhere near the premises. If they did then Izumi-san could lose business. Naruko didn't hold it against the woman.

She entered the empty eatery, the bell above the door tolling twice to announce her entry. She heard a commotion coming from the area where the kitchen was located and a moment later the aging portly form of her client toddled out to meet her.

"Ah, Naruko-chan!" The middle-aged woman greeted happily as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "My, you are punctual! 8a.m. on the dot. I'm sorry you had to get out of bed so early, dear."

"It's of no concern, Izumi-san." Naruko bowed to the older woman. As long as she'd known her, Izumi-san had been very affectionate towards children. It was probably because she had never had any herself, Naruko had mused.

"The hotplates are just through here." The café owner said as she led Naruko into a small back room. It looked as though it served as some random storage space, with no shelves, fixtures or furniture in the space, just cluttered junk as well as three sealed boxes that looked new. Naruko carried them through to the counters where they would be set up and opened the first box.

"I really appreciate all the effort, Naruko-chan. The charge to have the delivery men install it was almost as much as the things themselves!" Izumi exclaimed, shaking her head in disgust.

"It's no trouble, Izumi-san." Naruko remarked mildly and the old owner ambled off, allowing the girl to get to work in peace. Although she had the instructions Naruko made due with her own mind. This wasn't the first time she had constructed a hotplate and years of tinkering and her own intuition guided her as she skilfully put the pieces together. It was no more than simply a case of inserting point A into point B and before long she had a fully working hotplate set up on the counter, waiting to be used.

As she worked on getting the other two operational, Naruko allowed her mind to wander to a topic that had kept her awake most of the night. That was of course the offer made by the Hokage the day before.

She had been going over the Sandaime's offer in her mind for most of the night, mentally evaluating all the angles and listing the pros and cons of becoming a ninja.

She'd have a more reliable income, health insurance, the ability to protect herself from threats that would eventually make themselves known in future. But she would also be forced to takes lives, risk her life for reasons that weren't her own and sometimes be forced to do unscrupulous things for the sake of a mission. There was also the question of what would happen if she accepted but found that she couldn't go through with it. The minimum term of service for a ninja was ten years and barring personal or medical reasons there was no way to back out before your active service was up. If you really didn't want to fight or felt that your skills might be better used elsewhere there was always the option of requesting a non-combat post but you usually had to show a particular skill or ability for that, like code breaking or medical skills. She was pretty sure that if she did become a ninja and didn't want a combat post she was smart enough to garner a position in either the intelligence or decoding branch or failing that at the very least part of a relief crew.

Naruko turned and pulled a pair of pliers from the toolbox and used them to attach the plug to the main part of the hotplate. All she needed to do now was set up the overhead light and the glass screen that would keep the head in while only allowing anyone behind the counter to take anything from the hotplate. She peered at her tools for a moment before selecting one of the screwdrivers. Holding the screws in her mouth so she'd easily find them, Naruko began to set up the rest of the hotplate as she once again lost herself in though.

The one question it all came back to was could she change her whole life away from that of a civilian to that of a ninja? Violence was prominent in the life of a ninja - they _were_ fighters after all - but Naruko liked to think of herself as more of a passive person. She never got into fights if she could help it. It wasn't that she was afraid, she knew she could take care of herself and the would be robbers from the café yesterday could attest to that. No, she simply thought it too much of a bother to exasperate a problem by brining physical violence into the mix. Plus she didn't need to. She was usually smart enough to sway people to her way of thinking.

The problems she'd encountered with some people in the village were examples of this. The pickpocket from a few days ago was the main example of how to deal with someone who was easily swayed. Once she caught him a simple show of her strength was enough to persuade him not to bother her again. She could have filed charges but that would have been a waste of time and he'd learned his lesson so no harm done.

She thought back to the merchant who denied her service when she first found the fruit market a few years ago. The man had been stubborn and no matter what she tried she couldn't get him to reconsider his actions. When he started raving for the Anbu she realised that all she would achieve by trying to barter with the man would have been trouble with the Anbu coupled with making a scene. Since that didn't work she chose the alternative. She had been at the age when she'd realised she had to start taking control and not allow others to dictate her life so she formed a plan. She knew the other merchants in the market had seen the altercation and they would think that if they simply did the same thing she would go away and leave them alone. So she eliminated the heart of the problem. By convincing the other villagers that the merchant was selling food infected with insects she had cut off his income and ruined him. She knew that he would tell the other merchants and while the villagers believed that the cloaked person had been a male servant of a visiting Lord and not the Uzumaki girl, the other merchants would believe a man they'd known for years. She'd waited until the man had packed up his business and moved on before returning to the market. She had met no problems from that day on.

Of course sometimes those options didn't always work. When those robbers burst into the café she had immediately started to analyse the situation. The men were robbers in a predominantly civilian district who were confident of their success and by the lack of nervousness they had done this sort of thing before so convincing them to leave would have been difficult. They were three burly men with knives and she was a young girl so intimidation was an impossibility. When the robber had grabbed her she knew that the only way to end the confrontation was through physical action.

This showed she _could_ be physical and violent but she preferred not to. Thus she was a pacifist. She used her mind to get her out of situations but if someone left her no choice then she'd show them she was not someone to trifle with.

Naruko glanced at the clock on the wall, noting she had to get a move on if she wanted to get out of the café before the customers arrived.

An hour was all it took to get all three hotplates up and running, perfectly timed so that none of the clientele would see her in the café. She was just putting away her tools when Izumi came bustling out again.

"Oh, you're done already!" The elderly woman exclaimed as she saw the three gleaming machines on the countertop. "You certainly know your stuff, Naruko-chan. Here's your pay and a thank you for the trouble."

She handed Naruko an envelope of cash and a plastic container filled with freshly made stew; Izumi-san's speciality. Naruko took the money and tucked it into her jacket. She didn't count it, Izumi-san was too kind hearted to try to cheat someone. But Naruko wasn't the most trusting person. She'd count all her money later on when she was finished for the day. She took the container full of strew with a nod of thanks. Izumi-san also made it a habit to put something together when Naruko was working for her, no matter how much the redhead protested. "I appreciate it, Izumi-san. I'll bring the container back tomorrow morning. Call me if you need anything else."

With that Naruko left the café, heading towards her home. She wasn't about to let a good stew go to waste.

* * *

"Good job. You can collect your pay from the office downstairs. Dismissed."

Team 7 trooped out of the Hokage's office after yet another mission. After a solid week of near fruitless searching for Uzumaki Naruko they were eager for something to break the monotony. Sadly what they weren't expecting was to return to an old monotony when the Hokage issued them with the only mission available: capturing Tora the cat. Four hours of constant running after the elusive feline had left them sweaty, tired, dirty and not to mention, scratched to hell. Tenten's arms were covered in thin red marks and even Sasuke hadn't gotten away without a few nicks but Kiba was by far the worst. It looked like he had gone head first through a wood chipper with dozens of painful looking scratches covering him and a few twigs in his hair to go with the bloody bite mark to the nose. Tora hadn't appreciated it when the young Inuzuka had tried to kick it into a pond. They got some vindictive satisfaction from seeing the ginger cat being smothered by its owner who cried loudly but happily now that she had her 'baby' back.

"You three collect your pay and go home. I'll see you tomorrow at the usual time." Kakashi said as he stayed behind.

"Is that by our watch or yours because I could do with a good lie in." Tenten called from the hallway.

"Wise ass." Kakashi muttered as the door closed.

"Lazy ass." Tenten quipped back right before the door snapped shut, cutting off Kakashi's retort and securing the last word for the kunoichi.

"I suppose you want something, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked, not looking up from his reports.

"Yes, sir." Kakashi said as he turned back to his leader. "I was wondering how things went with Naruko."

"I figured as much." The Hokage said. He finished scribbling his signature and placed the report off to one side before giving Kakashi his full attention. "Do you want a general response or a response by topic?"

"By topic I suppose." Kakashi shrugged.

"Well for the most part she was damn near impossible to read." Sarutobi said, startling the Jounin. Sarutobi laughed at the look on the other man's face. "I know! Imagine a Kage having trouble reading a fourteen year old civilian girl. She carries herself well. Well, she was mostly unresponsive when I told her who placed her in the orphanage to begin with but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was less than pleased. That reminds me, I need to have a _chat_ with the care workers there soon." He murmured, remembering Naruko's description of her treatment there. He placed that thought aside for now and continued. "She was taken aback by finding out what _really_ happened on October 10th and her reaction to discovering what she is was understandable but she calmed quickly." He shook his head in wonder. "I swear that girl has one of the most analytical minds you'll ever find. And she'd been off balance with everything I told her! Imagine what an intelligence like that could do when she was calm!"

"What about her parents?" Kakashi asked quietly. "What did she say when she found out about them?"

Sarutobi looked a little sombre but understandingly so. "She was happy to know that had parents and that they loved her. She especially liked hearing how much she looked like Kushina." A small smile tugged at his lips. Although she hadn't smiled that one memory of the look on her face was enough to warm the old man's heart.

"And Minato?"

Sarutobi grimaced slightly. "She… well, she actually discerned the truth of her heritage from just a few titbits of information. I really need to work on that, it could be a serious disadvantage. She seemed accepting that as Hokage Minato would have chosen his own child to help save the village but when she found out his lack of preparation for the fallout she was less than impressed with our revered Yondaime. So am I after hearing things from her perspective although I'm no better."

"But Minato-sensei didn't have a lot of time! He had to hurry to save the village! Surely she can forgive him for being a little frazzled?" Kakashi tried to defend his former master.

Sarutobi looked at him patronizingly. "Kakashi, the man was a world renowned genius. Can you look me in the eye and say that at no point between the time he first came up the idea to seal the Kyuubi and actually doing it that he could have come up with a better idea for her protection than 'ask that they see her as a hero'? I love the village with all my heart but even I'm not that delusional. I followed his wishes but after talking to her I'm thinking that if she hadn't disappeared I'd have been dealing out harsher punishments. Naruko doesn't hold any resentment for Minato or the village but she's less than impressed with him at the moment. Whether she changes her views is up to her, I'll have no say in the matter unless it threatens the village."

Kakashi grimaced but nodded his agreement. Hearing it from a different point of view did put another spin on it. "What did she say when you told her about Jiraiya-sama?"

Sarutobi stared at him before slapping a hand to his forehead, groaning loudly. "I really am getting old! I completely forgot about him!"

"How could you forget a six foot tall white haired Toad summoner that you trained for years?" Kakashi asked dryly.

"He's never in the village anymore and I have a lot on my plate; it's easy to forget people!" Sarutobi defended himself huffily.

"Will you be telling her next time you see her?" Kakashi asked, getting them back to the topic at hand.

"Oh no! He'll be back in a few months to report on the Akatsuki, he can tell her himself." Sarutobi said as he leaned back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest stoutly.

Kakashi winced. "Kind of you throwing him to the wolves, isn't it?"

"On his own head be it." Sarutobi dismissed the accusation with a wave of his hand. "I understand that Minato's death hit him hard but he had a duty towards his Goddaughter: one he chose to ignore. I tried to convince him otherwise but he wouldn't take her. I offered alternatives but he wouldn't budge." Sarutobi fumed over the memory. The last meeting between teacher and student in the aftermath of the attack before Jiraiya started to travel the world was not a pleasant one…

* * *

_Sarutobi walked through the dark hallway of the rundown motel. It was one of the few buildings that had escaped the destruction having been on the opposite side of the village from where the attack happened. Although by the looks of the place it was probably better off being reduced to rubble. He never knew how his student could be comfortable in places like this and the different shouts, bangs and moaning drifting from some of the rooms failed to improve his opinion of the place. He stopped outside of the room where his target was registered and knocked softly before letting himself inside._

_The room was, if it were possible, in worse shape than the rest of the building. The curtains were drawn, throwing the place into shadow and instead of a floor there was just a sea of empty sake bottles, some smashed and others not. The few amenities that were in the single bedroom were either askew or broken completely._

_The sole occupant was much worse however._

_Completely shattered was how to best describe Jiraiya. Dark ring surrounded his eyes and there was a zombie-like slump to his shoulders. A strong musk of cheap sake smothered him in a choking cloud but he didn't notice as his dark eyes stared blankly ahead. He swayed slightly from where he was perched on a chair beside the small table, yet another jug of alcohol clutched in his large hand. He didn't seem to register Sarutobi as he entered the room, closing the door softly behind him._

"_I'm surprised there was this much sake still left in the village." Sarutobi commented casually as he stepped over the numerous bottles. "I thought that all the booze that hadn't been destroyed had already been drunk." He sat at the table across from Jiraiya._

"_It has now." The man gruffly replied as he tossed the now empty bottle aside, uncaring as it chipped the bedside table where the glass shattered against the wood._

"_I doubt the manager will be impressed with you wrecking his motel."_

"_He can kiss my hairy ass." The Toad Sannin grumbled as he glanced around for another bottle._

_Sarutobi stared at his distraught student for a few long moments before saying softly, "Don't you think you've had enough, Jiraiya?"_

_The younger but still old man seemed to contemplate the question before he shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm still conscious enough to drink aren't I? That suggests I'm not drunk enough." He managed to find a still full bottle and popped the cork, tossing the stopper aside._

_Sarutobi sighed and plucked the jug from Jiraiya's hand before he could take a sip. Holding it out of the large man's reach Sarutobi said gently but sternly, "I'm here to talk, Jiraiya, and I don't intend to try and discern your drunken incoherent mumbles."_

"_Give it back." Jiraiya glared at him as he held out his hand for the bottle._

_Taking a leaf from Jiraiya's book, Sarutobi flicked the bottle towards the sink where it shattered, the narcotic liquid disappearing down the drain. Jiraiya's glare intensified but Sarutobi remained composed. He'd seen far scarier things than an angry drunk._

_Seeing that his glare was having no effect Jiraiya crossed his arms with a huff and leaned back in his chair, staring moodily at his former teacher. "So what do you want? If it's about that Hokage business then you can forget it!"_

_Sarutobi shook his head with a weary sigh. "No, Jiraiya, I'm not going to ask that you become the Godaime. I already asked and you already rejected the offer. I can see that you won't change your mind any time soon."_

"_Just as long as we're clear." Jiraiya mumbled as he stared down at the stained table separating them. "If it's not to get me to take up the hat then why are you here?"_

_Sarutobi snorted and looked at the Sannin with a raised brow. "C'mon, Jiraiya, I know for a fact that you're smarter than that. You already know why I'm here."_

_Jiraiya heaved a great sigh, raking a hand through his wild hair. "Naruko." He whispered, still staring at the table._

_Sarutobi nodded. "Homura and Koharu are getting treatment at the medical tent and Danzou is organising the Anbu to patrol the walls for any sign of enemy ninja. We're going to meet up at the old Shinto Shrine east of the Hyuuga Compound where Naruko is being looked after and bring her to the Hokage Tower to discuss what will be done. You'll be needed at the meeting."_

_Jiraiya blew out a large sigh and looked at the Hokage with tired bloodshot eyes. "Sensei, I just want to get out of here as soon as I can. I don't think I can be around Konoha much, at least not for a while. It's just too hard."_

_Sarutobi frowned at that but made sure his voice sounded understanding. "I know that. I wouldn't think of keeping you here against your will, Jiraiya, it wouldn't do anyone any good. I understand that you need some time away to deal with Minato's death but there are some things you need to attend to before you leave."_

"_Like what?" Jiraiya asked as he leaned his crossed arms on the table, his long hair shadowing his eyes._

"_Your Goddaughter?" Sarutobi reminded him dryly._

"_Oh yeah." Jiraiya remembered with a noticeable slump. This concerned Sarutobi but before he could comment on it Jiraiya spoke, somewhat nervously if the Hokage's ears were correct. "Listen, Sensei, I've been thinking." Jiraiya began, brushing his hair out of his eyes but those eyes weren't looking anywhere near the Hokage but at an empty bottle of weapon oil on the floor. Jiraiya chewed his lip in nervous thought as he continued. "I mean with everything that's happened - Minato d-dieing and the state of the village right now - that maybe I… I mean I thought that perhaps…"_

"_Yes?" Sarutobi prompted slowly, his eyes boring into the side of Jiraiya's skull._

_Jiraiya risked a glance at his leader but swallowed hard and quickly looked away again. "That maybe… maybe I - just for a little while mind you - that I postpone… you know… taking custody of Naruko?" He finished, his voice taunt with nerves at the end._

"_What?" Sarutobi asked coldly, his steely eyes narrowing._

"_Just for a little while!" Jiraiya quickly defended himself, waving his hands in front of him to calm to Hokage. Or maybe to protect himself from a beating._

"_Let me get this straight." Sarutobi began lowly, his voice stiff with frost. "You want to leave a little girl, _your Goddaughter _no less, alone while you go off to drown your sorrows in some bar on the other side of the world? What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_Jiraiya flinched as if physically struck by the level of venom in his teacher's voice. He Hadn't heard the Sandaime talk to anyone like that since the war but he'd _never_ been on the receiving end of it. Now he knew why people feared and respected the Third Hokage as the 'God of Shinobi'. His face scrunched in shame and he was forced to look away from the look of cold fury on the older man's face. "It's not like I'm abandoning her completely." He weakly defended himself. "I will come back, I just need to get my head on straight, you know? Deal with some things first."_

"_Things like what? Drinking yourself into a coma? Peeping at the bathhouses? Finishing another of your damn books!?" Sarutobi shouted with mounting rage. His knuckled were white under the sleeves of his robes where his hands were fisted so tight that his nails were drawing blood._

"_No! I just need some time to come to terms with Minato's death!" Jiraiya shouted back, both offended and angry. "You were the one that always told us during our training that burying emotions for too long wasn't healthy! You said you didn't train us just for us to go insane under the pressure!"_

"_No, I didn't train you only for you to buckle under the weight of your own emotions." Sarutobi agreed through grit teeth. "But I also didn't train you to be cowards!"_

"_That's not what this is!"_

"_Then explain it to me, Jiraiya!" Sarutobi shouted back. It was only through great force of will that he managed to stay in his chair and not pace the room. "Explain why you want to abandon your Goddaughter now when she needs you most! She just lost both of her parents and she's now forced to undertake a duty that we cannot even fathom both without her knowledge or approval so please explain in words that I can understand your great plan that involves leaving that girl by herself!"_

_Jiraiya sighed in frustration and rubbed his red rimmed eyes with the heels of his palms as he tried to find the best words to explain it. Licking his lips he tried, "It's just that being around people right now is tough plus with the village being as weakened as it is right now the other countries will be testing the waters for an invasion. I'll need to be getting in touch with my contacts to find out what they know. I'll be on the road constantly plus with the state I'm in right now I'll be the worst possible person to entrust her to. Hell, Orochimaru would be a better choice at the moment!" _

_Sarutobi's face scrunched in annoyance as he shook his head. "That's so much bullshit I can actually smell it, Jiraiya. You're just fishing around for any excuse now!"_

"_That's not it!" He exclaimed loudly, throwing his hands into the air. "I have a duty to the village as an information gatherer!"_

"_WHAT ABOUT YOUR DUTY TO YOUR GODDAUGHTER!?" Sarutobi thundered, his voice shaking the room with its intensity as he slammed his fist down on the table, nearly breaking it in half and causing Jiraiya to jump a foot in the air. He pressed his hands flat against the dirty wood and loomed over the taller man. His teeth were bared and his eyes were slits. "Enough of this worthless tripe, Jiraiya! You will tell me here and now your reasons for not wanting to take custody of that girl or I swear I am done with you!"_

"_I - I don't…" Jiraiya fumbled as he tried to bring any argument to bear._

_Sarutobi growled in frustration and shoved himself away from the table. "It's probably better that Minato is dead. That way he wouldn't have to see what his master becomes when things get difficult." He said bitingly._

"_Yeah, well I'll never know how he feels now, will I?" Jiraiya mumbled bitterly, not knowing the Sandaime could hear him. "Naruko took care of that."_

_It happened so fast that Jiraiya didn't even catch it. One moment his teacher was standing on the opposite side of the table with his back to him and a heartbeat later the table was launched aside before Sarutobi slammed him into the wall with enough force to crack it, his hand encasing the Sannin's throat with metal rending pressure._

_Jiraiya's eyes bulged and he clawed at the deceptively thin arm, trying to ease the pressure enough to take a single breath but Sarutobi's grip remained true. Normally he could physically overpower his smaller teacher but Jiraiya was still pretty drunk and Sarutobi was pressing against the arteries in his neck while holding his windpipe closed, making his body feel heavy and sluggish._

_Sarutobi's teeth clenched so tight that he thought his jaw may break as he glared at his former student with enough heat to out burn the sun itself. His grip tightened a fraction and he watched as Jiraiya's movements became more weak and slow as the lack of oxygen began to take its toll. He eased up his grip and watched as Jiraiya coughed violently, taking in large hasty gasps of air, his eyes watering._

"_Jiraiya, look at me." Sarutobi ordered menacingly. The younger of the two looked at his teacher but flinched back at the look on his face. He'd never seen Sarutobi-sensei looking like that before. "Jiraiya!" Sarutobi warned and Jiraiya forced himself to look the man in the eye. For the very first time Jiraiya actually feared his teacher. _

_Sarutobi spoke slowly and clearly, making sure the Sannin understood his every word clearly for he was deadly serious about what he said. "Jiraiya, what you just said both concerns me and disgusts me. I thought you were a better man than that and I know that Minato and Kushina are probably rolling in their graves right now. They'd be _disgusted _with you. Now you will look me in the eye - in the _eye_ Jiraiya! - and you will tell me the complete truth of how you feel about Naruko and believe me, boy, if you try to deceive me I will sever all ties with you and make sure Naruko never learns of her so-called 'Godfather'. Do you blame Naruko for Minato's death? Speak quickly for my tolerance for you is quickly reaching its limit."_

_Jiraiya's face filled with anguish and he went slack, hanging limply in the Sandaime's grip. "Of course I don't blame her." He said, his voice thick with tears. "She's my Goddaughter. I love her." He brought his head up and Sarutobi was unsurprised to see the rivets of tears running down the man's face. Jiraiya was at that moment every part the heartbroken man. "But it's hard, sensei. So damn hard. Ever since the sealing every time I look at her all I can think about is Minato and Kushina and it breaks my heart! All I can think about is the days I spent with them. Minato was my son in all but blood and he meant more to me than my own life did. When he told me about Kushina and Naruko I didn't know who was happier, me or him. I know I've never been pegged at the family type of guy but for the first time in my life I felt like I was actually part of one. Minato was the son I was proud of, Kushina was the daughter-in-law I doted on and Naruko was the granddaughter I'd spoil rotten. But now that's all gone. When I look at Naruko all I can think about is the family I lost and the fact that I might have to raise a child and tell how why she doesn't have any parents and the thought terrifies me more than anything ever has before! When I thought about it it was as though I couldn't breath. My hands were shaking, everything started to spin and I felt like I was going to spew. My first instinct was to get away and that's what I did. Look at me, sensei. Can you honestly say that you'd trust me to care for a child the way I am now? Hell, I can hardly take care of myself never mind a baby! I can't do it, sensei, I just can't." Jiraiya broke down and Sarutobi released him, allowing the large man to slide down the wall where he cried with great heaving sobs._

_He looked so pathetic at that moment that Sarutobi couldn't help but pity him. For a second he didn't see Jiraiya the Toad Sannin. He saw little Genin Jiraiya. The young impulsive boy that fumbled with the most basic things but never gave up, striving to overcome his rival and best friend. He was forced to admit that confronting Jiraiya when he was drunk and in mourning probably wasn't the best idea. Sarutobi sighed and knelt beside the man, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder as he let him clear his soul._

_It was a long time before anything else was said. Jiraiya's tears had stopped but neither moved, each basking in the relative silence of the dark room._

"_Jiraiya." Sarutobi's gravely voice eventually spoke quietly. "I don't like this… but I can understand it. Do what you feel is best but I should warn you that this will affect both yours and Naruko's lives. If you think that by not being around her will benefit her in the long run then go for it but don't expect it to be an easy thing to come back from. Leave if you feel you must but I will tell you here and now that I wash my hands of this entire matter. What happens in the future is between you and Naruko and I will not be dragged into it by either side. This is a family matter and it should be dealt with as such. I just hope that this decision doesn't come back to haunt you."_

_Jiraiya placed his large hand over Sarutobi's smaller one where it lay on his shoulder, giving it a small pat of thanks. "You and me both, sensei. You and me both."_

* * *

Sarutobi's eyes were clouded over as he thought back to that lonely motel room and the discussion that took place inside of it. Jiraiya had left the next day after spending almost an hour alone with Naruko. He didn't know what, if anything, was said and he didn't want to know. Over the next fourteen years Jiraiya had been doing what he did best; gathering information. He'd be the first to testify that Jiraiya's actions greatly benefited the village during those years. Many attacks had been thwarted, spies caught and corrupt officials ousted because of the Toad Sannin's information network and he'd recently uncovered a grave threat under the guise of the name 'Akatsuki'. Neither of them knew what this organisation was up to but Jiraiya was getting closer, rooting out more and more pockets of invaluable information about the shadowy group that was looking for knowledge about his Goddaughter and people like her.

Sarutobi hadn't told Jiraiya of Naruko's disappearance. Mostly because Jiraiya was a spy and a fighter but not a tracker and if the village's best trackers couldn't find her then no one could but also because he didn't want his student to do something drastic whether it be in regards to finding Naruko or as an act of self punishment if he believed her disappearance was somehow his fault. Whenever he enquired about her in his sparse letters Sarutobi had told him that she was fine but little more. Perhaps he hoped that the lack of information would coax his student back home, he didn't really know his own motives. He fully intended to get Jiraiya back in the village if anything they found that linked to Naruko's disappearance seemed concerning but thankfully that didn't happen.

"How do you think she'll react? To Jiraiya-sama being her Godfather I mean?" Kakashi asked, drawing the Sandaime out of his thoughts.

The Hokage sighed with a shrug. "I really don't know. That girl's surprised me so much already that without getting to know her better I doubt I could predict anything she would do. If I would hazard a guess then I think she'd be accepting of him as her Godfather but as to him leaving her alone…" He sighed again. "I don't know. We'll see in a few months I suppose."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before venturing, "Hokage-sama, if I may be so bold? What options did you offer Naruko to protect her from the Akatsuki?"

Sarutobi stared at Kakashi for a long time, as if judging him, before leaning back into his chair, closing his eyes as he rested his head against the stuffed leather. "I gave her three main options for her to chose from. The first was round the clock Anbu protection in an undisclosed location for an undisclosed time."

"Sounds like she'd be more of a prisoner than a VIP." Kakashi observed.

Sarutobi nodded but didn't open his eyes. "She thought so as well. Didn't like the idea of being cooped up in a place where she didn't have control. I can guess that she'll pass on that idea. The second was relocation. We provide her a new identity and give her the money to go anywhere she likes. It would draw the attention away from the village and she'd get a chance of hiding while starting her life over."

"But that would--" Kakashi was cut off by the Hokage's impatient wave of a hand.

"I know all that! So does Naruko." He shook his head in wonder. "I swear that girl is probably one of the smartest teenagers I've ever met. She analysed every angle and weighed the pros and cons while taking into account any possible future repercussions in moments. Hell, if we didn't know who her parents were you'd think she was part Nara. She turned down that idea. She seemed intrigued by the third idea."

"Really?" Kakashi asked. "What was that?"

Sarutobi threw Kakashi small smirk. "That she become a kunoichi."

Kakashi spluttered through his mask, his single visible eye wide with shock. "WHAT!? B-But she's a civilian and too old and hasn't been trained and--"

"Kakashi, you're rambling." Sarutobi interrupted. He waited for the Jounin to reclaim some composure before continuing. "I know she's too old to join the academy and I'm also aware that she hasn't received any training but this is really the best option. This way she learns to protect herself from any possible threats either from Akatsuki or by someone wanting revenge on the child of Namikaze Minato. I'm actually surprised by your outburst, I'd have thought that you'd be overjoyed to hear that she has expressed an interest in following in her parents' footsteps." Sarutobi remarked.

Kakashi slumped slightly and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'm just adverse to anything that would put Minato-sensei's daughter at risk. I still am. I'm not really comfortable with her going out on missions."

"Well fortunately that isn't your choice." Sarutobi quipped and watched as the man's eye twitched slightly. "You can't keep her wrapped in bubble wrap just because she's a link to Minato. You forget that this girl has been looking after herself all her life and I doubt she'd welcome a person she's never met telling her how to go about her business. She certainly displayed that with me." He chuckled. "She acknowledged that I am the Hokage but she didn't let me walk all over her. She made sure that the conversation we had was one between equals, albeit with one equal slightly more authorities than the other. She's her own woman. I think calling her a girl at this point would just be insulting."

Kakashi grumbled a bit but let it go. Crossing his arms he asked, "So what did she say?"

"That she'd need time to think about it. Understandable considering that this isn't the kind of decision to be made lightly. I'm actually proud that she didn't just jump on board without giving it some intense thought. If she did I would have withheld on the offer and make her think about it before going ahead with it."

"Who's team would she be on?" Kakashi asked, slight lounging in his voice.

Sarutobi chuckled at the man. "Wishing you held off on taking a team for a little while longer?" He guessed correctly.

Kakashi had the grace to look sheepish and chuckled lightly. "Kind of. I chose to go ahead with it this year because I'm the only one left in the village, except perhaps the Hyuuga maybe, that could teach Sasuke how to properly use his Sharingan."

"Just as long as you don't forget about your other students." Sarutobi reminded him.

Kakashi just waved him off. "Nah, I'm not the kind of guy to do that. I'm the kind of guy that'd probably forget about all three of them. That's the reason I have the team picture beside my bed you know; so that when I wake up I remember that I have to teach the little nose pickers."

"Yet you roll over and go back to sleep for a few hours?" Sarutobi asked dryly but with a small bemused smirk.

The grey haired man shrugged. "I need my beauty sleep and besides they're young, it'd do them good to learn some patience."

Sarutobi just shook his head. Kakashi was as eccentric as nearly every other one of his ninja, though he'd never admit it. Briefly Sarutobi wondered if any of the other Kage had such strange subordinates.

"Did she say when she'd give you an answer?" Kakashi asked.

"She said she had jobs scheduled for the next two weeks. She'll give me an answer when she's done."

"But the thing that I can't understand is how she'll learn to be a kunoichi." Kakashi said, confused. "Like you said, she's too old to enter the academy and unless you plan on apprenticing her to someone I don't see how this will work."

Sarutobi just waved off his concern. "One thing at a time, Kakashi. We'll wait until we have her answer before going into the details. Everything will work out in the end."

"I hope so." He glanced at the clock in the wall. "I'd better go. I promised Gai I'd meet him for some training."

Propping his chin on his hand, Sarutobi gave the Jounin an exasperated look. "And what time where you meant to meet him again?"

"About an hour and a half ago." Kakashi shrugged as he left the office, pulling his book from his pocket as he walked. A perverted giggle floated up the hall a few moments later.

"Does that man have no shame?" Sarutobi asked his empty office as he shook his head.

* * *

For Naruko the next two weeks passed somewhat hazily. She recalled working and getting paid but little else beyond that. Even though she didn't usually have anything to do besides working or reading the small collection of books she had she still usually remembered nearly everything she did during any given week. She had even been startled to realise that it was Saturday and she arrived at the fruit market for her weekly shop an hour later than usual.

It was the Hokage's offer. That was what was causing her numerous lapses in concentration. The memory of their conversation popped into her head at the most inopportune moments. When she had been repairing a hole in Arai-san's roof she had been thinking of the offer too intently and paid for it when she missed the nail and hit her thumb with the hammer and when you're as strong as Naruko was then hitting yourself with a hammer proved to be quite painful.

She had thought about it nearly every minute for the entire two weeks. Whether she was working, eating, showering or simply laying around doing nothing she thought about it. Even reading couldn't provide a distraction and she often found herself staring at the same sentence for hours on end before finally giving up.

She had been back and forth over the issue. It seemed that no matter what she did she couldn't come up with an answer. Did she want to become a ninja? The answer was: she didn't know. She had weighed all the pros and all the cons but still she couldn't come up with a definite answer. Now she knew why children where entered into the academy at such a young age. If they chose earlier it not only made it easier for them to burn the information they learned into their minds but they also didn't over think their choices of becoming a ninja. They simply thought it was cool, that their parents would be proud of them and that by enlisting in the military they were fighting for their home.

Naruko, however, knew nothing of these concepts. Never having grown up with a family she didn't know what it was like to strive for her parents' approval, to want to make them proud of her. Knowing that she had parents and knowing them were two very different things.

For the very first time in her life Naruko decided she needed assistance (She was loath to call it 'help'). This however proved difficult. For a friendless orphan confidants were hard to come by. She knew a lot of people but they weren't her friends, they were her clients. Then she remembered. There was one person she could go to.

It had taken a while to find it. She had to painstakingly search each and every stone she came across but never finding the one she was looking for. It was the final day of the two week waiting period she promised the Hokage and she was determined to give him her answer before the sun set. Even though she started early in the morning, leaving straight after her breakfast, it still took the best part of a day to find what she was looking for. When she did find it the sun was already low in the sky, orange light bathing the village in a pleasant glow. Naruko stood before the stone which was located on a small hill overlooking the village, the cool breeze tugging slightly at her short hair as she gazed upon the inscription.

**Here lies Uzumaki Kushina**

**Loving wife, caring mother, friend to all.**

**July 10****th**** 1566AF - October 10****th**** 1590AF**

"**Who Dares, Wins"**

Naruko slowly approached the grave marker, her heart beating a tempo against her ribcage. She knelt on the evenly cut grass and lifted one hand to gently trace the engraved letters of her mother's name, her fingers gliding over the smooth marble. She was thankful that whoever commissioned the grave marker (She had a feeling it was the Third Hokage) they acknowledged her mother as a wife even if she never got the chance to marry her father. If Naruko was a romantic person she'd have said that you didn't need to have a big fancy ceremony to be considered someone's spouse if the love between them was strong enough.

"Hi…Mom…" She said quietly and uncertainly, feeling the unfamiliar word roll of her tongue. She was astounded by how _right_ it sounded, like she had been saying all her life. Before today she might have considered someone talking to a grave marker confusing and strange. The person they were talking to was dead so how did they expect their loved one to hear them? But that was then and Naruko didn't know any other way to try and get her answer. Besides, she had wanted to talk to her mother all her life and if she couldn't do so in person then she'd do so in spirit.

"It's me, Naruko…your daughter. I'm sorry I haven't been to visit before but I didn't know your name or where you were buried. Wait, that's not true, I _did_ know your name was Uzumaki but I didn't know your first name or whether or not Uzumaki was your family name. It's strange, I didn't even think to check for any graves marked Uzumaki. If I did then I would have visited sooner. I'm sorry."

Her voice cracked a little and she hastily cleared it. She swallowed and licked her lips nervously, trying to think of what she wanted to say. She was silent for a few minutes before finally continuing.

"I met the Hokage recently. It was a surreal experience to say the least. Here was the most powerful man in the country sitting in my living room like it was the most natural thin in the world. Definitely not what I had in mind in the way of guests. He told me all about you… you and Dad. Yeah, I know all about him… and what he did. I don't know if you know what he did since you… _passed on_ before it happened but--" She stopped suddenly, realising that what she was about to say was extremely classified. She scanned the area looking for any possible eavesdroppers but saw none. She scooted closer to her mother's grave marker and lay her head against the cool stone, closing her eyes and trying to feel anything that would suggest her mother could hear her.

"Dad… he used me to help stop the attack. Not _used_ in a bad way per say but stopped the attack through me. He sealed the Kyuubi into me. I don't really understand it all but he managed to somehow trap the beast and put all of its energy inside me but it killed him in the process. I don't blame him if you're wondering… but I don't necessarily like him right now." She said it quietly, almost shamefully. "It's just… he was always lauded for being so smart, for being a genius, but he didn't make any plans for how I was to be looked after once the sealing was over. He just asked that they see me as a hero but nothing beyond that. I… I just don't know how a man who's so intelligent could be so… so _blind_." She sighed. This was the first time she could talk to her mother in any way and she didn't want to mar it with this discussion. It was still too raw.

She shook her head slightly against the stone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to vent. I suppose it's strange, hearing from a daughter you know of but don't know personally, eh? I'll tell you about me, how's that? Well, I'm fourteen now, fifteen in a few months. My favourite colour is purple, I like anything spicy…"

For the next hour Naruko knelt there beside the grave of her mother, telling her everything she could think of about herself. She didn't know why but she kept her treatment by the village a secret, not really wanting to get into that. She was surprised by how much she actually spoke. Even counting the meeting with the Hokage the conversation (One sided though it may be) was the longest Naruko had ever talked in her life. She was actually startled by how easy it was to talk about herself. Usually she was extremely private and hesitant to give out any personal information to anyone. Even many of her clients only knew her second name and that was only because she was the 'Uzumaki girl'. She was so caught up in her spiel that she didn't notice the sun sinking lower in the sky until she stopped to catch her breath. Remembering her silent vow to give the Hokage an answer by the end of the day Naruko decided to get down to the main reason she was here.

"I need your help, Mom." She whimpered as huddled beside the marble marker. "The Hokage came to see me two weeks ago. He told me of an organisation, Akatsuki. He said they've been inquiring into neighbouring lands, looking for information on people like me: Jinchuuriki. We don't know much except that they're very dangerous and that eventually they'll begin to move. We don't know when that will happen but the Hokage doesn't want to risk it. He offered me a few options in the way of protecting me. He even offered to give me the money to start a new life somewhere outside the village but I can't leave. Eventually my heritage will emerge and then I'll have people looking for me and I'm afraid I don't blend in well." She muttered softly, tracing the thin whiskers on her cheeks.

"The other option the Hokage suggested was extreme to say the least. He offered me training as a kunoichi. Can you believe that? He offered a fourteen year old civilian enlistment when I've never held a kunai in my life. I couldn't believe it. I told him I needed to think about it and I need to give him my answer today. I've been going over the idea in my head constantly for the last two weeks and it's been frustrating me to no end. I keep going over all the pros and cons and I don't know how many lists I've written and yet I still can't decide. I've never liked fighting. I'll fight if I have no choice but I prefer to find another way. What if that option is taken away from me? What if I have to fight when I don't want to. What if I have to kill?" Her voice was a silent whisper near the end.

Her eyes scrunched tightly shut and she leaned against the cold marker as though seeking comfort from the thought. "I don't know if I can do it, Mom. I don't know if I can kill someone. I know you and Dad where able to somehow but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I'm strong enough. God, I wish you were here!" Against her will a single tear managed to break free and glided down her smooth cheek before falling to the grass silently. Naruko hugged her knees and buried her face into her arms as her frustration overwhelmed her. She didn't cry but she was damn close to it. For probably the first time since before she left the orphanage she wasn't Uzumaki Naruko, the diamond hard ice queen with the amazing strength and sharp mind. She was simply a girl who was all alone in the world and who wanted nothing more that for her mother to hug her and take all her pain away.

"Help." Naruko's shaky whisper was muffled by her arms. "Please, help me. I don't know what to do, mom. I tried but I can't make this decision alone. Please help. Mommy… please…"

Just as she was about to break, Naruko felt something land softly in her hair. Confused, she reached up and plucked a single leaf from her red locks. Just then a small breeze kicked up the rest of the leaves scattered around her, pulling them into its wake and causing them to fly around her. She watched them as she felt the wind gently caress her. Unlike the usual cool breeze that you'd associate with late evening, this one was different. Instead of being chilly or cold, this one was warm. It wrapped around her like a blanket and she felt her frustrations and uncertainties ebb away into nothingness. Suddenly the wind shifted and the leaves flew into the air above her, twisting and dancing in a silent ballet. The wind shifted again and the leaves were blown away from the hill, drifting back towards the village. She felt a tugging in her hand and she looked down to see the leaf in her hand being pulled by the wind. Unthinkingly she let it go and it immediately took off after its fellows, twisting and winding as the wind propelled it towards Konoha.

Naruko sat there silently, her eyes staring after the leaf before she blinked and turned to her mother's grave. "Was that your answer, Mom?" She asked softly. The wind tugged at her hair slightly.

Naruko blinked slowly and felt a small tug at her lips that she did nothing to suppress. Slowly, her icy façade melted away, the serious lines of her face vanishing and for the first time in too long, Uzumaki Naruko smiled. It was a small thing but anyone who saw it would testify to their dieing day that in that moment, Naruko looked absolutely breathtaking.

"Thanks, Mom." Naruko said softly. "I think I have my answer now. After all," She announced as she rose to her feet. She turned back to the carved marble and she traced the inscription. "Who Dares, Wins, right?"

Filled with new purpose and bearing a feeling of content that she had never felt before, Naruko left the cemetery, making her way back towards Konoha.

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his office finishing some last minute paperwork when there was a knock at the door. He set aside his pen and pipe before leaning back in his chair. "Enter." He called.

The door swung open and through it strode Uzumaki Naruko. Sarutobi blinked. There was a change about the girl, something that hadn't been there before. Instead of commenting on it, he remained silent as the girl stopped before his desk, her back straight and her chin high.

"I was wondering when you'd come" He said. "I trust you have come to a decision?"

"I have." She replied resolutely.

Sarutobi folded his arms as he leaned upon his desk, his browns locking with her blues. "And what is your answer?"

Naruko didn't even blink when she gave her reply, her voice filled with steadfast determination.

"I'm in."

Sarutobi smiled widely. "Then let's get started."

* * *

**Leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, not me.

**I need help. I need ideas for Tenten's mother's name. I'm trying but I can't think of anything that sticks. Preferably the name would start with a T but it doesn't have to, it just has to be a good name. If you have an idea then leave it with a review.**

**CHAPTER 3**

Naruko spent most of the night with the Hokage getting everything ready for her enlistment. It was mostly paperwork like filling in her personal information, getting her fingerprints taken and whatnot. There were other things that she'd need to take care of that couldn't be done late in the evening in the Hokage's office like getting a full medical evaluation, a visit to the dentists so they could start her dental records and an appointment with the local opticians so that a scan of her retinas could be added to the files. She also had to see about setting up a bank account. While she wouldn't be making the large sums that higher ranked missions paid for quite some time she still needed one as large money transfers couldn't be made using in person. Truth be told it was all rather overwhelming and quite invasive but this was the life she was now a part of. During the entire thing Sarutobi learned more fascinating things about the young kunoichi-in-training.

"I must say, Naruko, you take penmanship seriously." He commented as he looked over one of the forms. The kanji were near perfect but still had small characteristics from the person who wrote them. "I only wish my other ninja could write as well as you. Half of what crosses my desk looks like something a preschooler would draw for his parents. I'm curious, how did you learn to read and write in the first place?"

Naruko didn't look up from the form she was currently filling in as she answered, "When I left the orphanage I took with me a few books on reading and writing skills as well as a few reading materials made for young children and more sophisticated novels. It took a while but I managed to teach myself the basic principles and from there I picked up the rest of the skills as I worked. It was the same for maths."

"You stole the books?" He asked with a small smile and a quirked eyebrow.

The hand that held the pen paused and she glanced up at the Hokage. "I only took books that had been long out of use after they had fallen into disarray. The fact that the orphanage had recently received more up to date materials meant that the ones I took were likely to be thrown away."

Sarutobi just waved off her explanation. "Don't worry about it, Naruko, I wasn't reprimanding you. I think given your predicament you were entitled to the books. Besides," He added as he resumed his going over of the files. "Technically speaking you were still an orphan of the orphanage, you just went outside to play. For a really long time."

Naruko quirked a brow at the old leader but said nothing, instead resuming her writing.

It was almost three hours later when Naruko finally set down the gilded pen the Hokage had loaned her and sat back in her chair, trying to massage the cramp out of her wrist from the constant writing.

"That's excellent, Naruko." Sarutobi said as he swept the forms into his arms. He placed them off to the side. Clasping his hands before him he turned to the young girl. "There's one last thing I need to talk to you about that you might feel a little uncomfortable about. It's the matter of securing your equipment."

Naruko shifted almost unnoticeably in her chair. She knew he meant the matter of _paying_ for her equipment. Ninja gear wasn't the cheapest thing around. Even the second hand equipment cost a good bit of money.

"There's no worry, Hokage-sama." She said, smoothly covering her discomfort. "I have saved a reasonable sum of my earnings over the years and I believe that if I spend sparingly I can get all the necessary gear."

"Are you sure?" Sarutobi asked encouragingly. "We do have a fund available for such cases. It would be no trouble to--"

"Please, Hokage-sama." Naruko insisted uncomfortably. Her voice dropped slightly as she added, "I don't like charity."

Sarutobi regarded her for a long moment before letting the matter drop. Everyone had their pride. "Very well, Naruko, I can't force you to accept the money. Just know that it's there if you need it."

"Thank you, sir." She said, her body relaxing. "Is there a list of the things I'll need?"

"Yes." Sarutobi started to rummage through the drawers of his desk before he paused. He appeared thoughtful for a moment before looking up at Naruko. "In fact why don't I simply take you to get your things tomorrow. I can show you what you need as well as give you some suggestions and we can get those medical records sorted out."

Naruko appeared surprised by the offer. "I'm sure there's no need for that, Hokage-sama. You probably have a lot of important work to do."

Sarutobi shook his head and gestured to the piles of forms neatly arranged on his desk. "My work load for the week is done. I expect that there will be a big influx tomorrow but that will be later on in the evening. Plus it'll get me out of this office."

Naruko blinked but decided that it couldn't really hurt to have a ninja's opinion on what she should buy. "I'd appreciate your input, Hokage-sama."

"Excellent!" He exclaimed. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was getting quite late. "We should probably call it a night, Naruko. How about I meet you tomorrow at the town plaza at, say, 10a.m.?"

Naruko agreed and she rose from her chair, bidding the Hokage goodnight before heading home. Her new life would start tomorrow.

* * *

The next day dawned as hot as any other of the previous summer days. Heat waves shimmered in the air as people made their way through the village, either towards work, out shopping or simply out for a walk.

Naruko sat on one of the stone benches that surrounded the large stone fountain in the centre of the plaza. The water splashed into the air, creating little rainbows as small children scooped their hands in for a drink of the refreshingly cool water. There were a few stall set up here outside the actual shops. The plaza was crowded with people but not overly so as to make someone feel smothered.

Naruko glanced at the clock set into the top of the statue on the fountain as it struck 10a.m.

"Ah, there you are, Naruko."

Said redhead turned slightly to see the Hokage standing beside her bench, his large hat providing him a nice awning from the hot sun.

"Very punctual, Hokage-sama." She commented, impressed.

"Shunshin is very useful for getting around." He replied with a smile. Seeing that she didn't quite get what he meant, he added, "It's a jutsu, Naruko, that most senior ninja use to get around quickly. Are you ready to get started?"

Naruko nodded and, getting up from the bench, followed the older man through the throngs of people, towards what she assumed where ninja outfitters.

As they walked Naruko noticed that quite a few people looked shocked and surprised that the Hokage himself was walking alongside her, the Uzumaki girl, like old friends. They had never before seen the pair in each other's company before and many thought it extremely weird. Some where muttering to each other, wondering what she had done to garner a talking to by the Hokage of all people. It must have been bad that was for certain. Only a few people entertained the idea that Naruko was in fact _not_ in trouble but merely talking with the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama?" Naruko asked as they walked. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about the training I'm going to be receiving. I'm afraid that I don't really know much about ninja training beyond the few things I've hear about the academy."

"Well," Sarutobi began as they passed through quaint residential area. "You'll be assigned to a Genin team for certain. Some ninja take apprentices but those are rare plus I think that being teamed with students who attended the academy will help you learn the basics faster. Plus if Akatsuki were to come for you, you might be better off backed up with a team."

'_Or we'll all be killed together.' _Naruko thought morbidly.

Sarutobi continued on, unaware of her thoughts. "I'm going to see one of the Jounin kunoichi later on today about giving you a basic rundown of all the things that you would have learned in the kunoichi-only classes at the academy. Probably either tomorrow or the day after you'll meet your sensei and he'll take you to meet the rest of your team. That is, meet them _after_ your graduation."

Naruko blinked. "Graduation, sir?"

Sarutobi glanced down at her before his gaze returned to the street before them. "Well it's when an academy student passes their Genin exam but it's officially called the Pledge of Service. You usually learn it whilst in the academy but you'll need to memorize it in a few days. It's only a few lines so you shouldn't have too much trouble. You'll need to swear it before me and two Elders after which you'll receive your hitai-ate. It marks your becoming a fellow ninja of Konoha."

"Will there be anyone else at the Pledge, sir?"

Sarutobi shook his head as they turned into another, more crowded street. "No. It's usually done by an entire class, one person at a time and in front of the new Genins' families in a much grander ceremony but since you're the only person and the new academy year has just started then it will just be you, me, the Elders and the oath will be taking place on the top of the Hokage Tower. It should be over relatively quickly."

"Are there a lot of these ceremonies, sir?" Naruko asked.

Sarutobi shrugged nonchalantly. "Quite a few I suppose but not as much as say the samurai or local militia."

"What's the point?" Naruko asked. All that prompt and ceremony seemed pointless to her.

Sarutobi chuckled. "One answer, Naruko. Tradition. You'll find quite a bit of it in military life. Here we are." He said as they stopped outside of one of the stores.

Naruko looked up. The place was called Samuri's Ninja Ware and in the windows were displays ranging from kunai and shuriken to more exotic weapons, armour and tools. She followed Sarutobi inside.

The clerk was sitting behind the counter on his stool, his feet propped up on the glass display cases as he read a dog eared magazine. He glanced up as the bell above the door chimed and blinked as the Hokage himself walked through the door, followed by a teenager with red hair.

"H-Hokage-sama!" The man exclaimed as he hurriedly jumped off of his stool. He dropped his magazine on the counter and hurried forward. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm just here to help Naruko here pick out supplies." The old man said, gesturing to the girl at his side.

"Of course, is there anything in particular you need?"

"Mostly a starter kit. I have a list here so I think I'll let Naruko pick everything she wants out. Is that okay with you?" He asked the girl in question.

Naruko nodded.

"Excellent. Here's the list of the things you'll need. I marked the items you will most definitely need so you should grab those first." He said as he passed her a piece of paper.

Naruko opened it up and her eyes went wide at the amount of items written down. More than half of them had 'important' written beside it marking it as one of the items the Hokage thought was too important to forget. She just hoped her savings would cover it all. She _really _didn't want to ask the Hokage for help buying it all.

So she got to work. The first port of call was the survival gear that the Hokage had marked so she scanned the isles while the Hokage waited with the clerk at the counter. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. In a few minutes she had gathered the tent, canteen, emergency field kit, razor wire, a wireless radio headset and a second hand pack of shuriken. She had picked up one of the kunai that were on sale but she soon put it back. She didn't know what it was but she didn't like the feel of the kunai in her hand. The shape just felt off to her.

The next thing she grabbed were the books. Ninja didn't just train the body but the mind as well. The mind could be a ninja's greatest weapon and their greatest weakness if not honed properly and for a civilian girl who was suddenly thrust into the ninja lifestyle a bit of mental fortitude would be invaluable. There were books on many topics ranging from tracking tips to body disposal techniques and most importantly physiology books to help the newer ninja ease into the job safely. She grabbed a few of those as well as the standard ninja primer, a basic regulation manual that all Konoha ninja were required to memorize.

She left the things with the Hokage at the counter and went back to pick out the rest of her things.

"Remember, Naruko, you should pick out a uniform that you can wear during training and missions. Civilian clothes just aren't made for this kind of work." The Hokage reminded her.

With this in mind she meticulously went through each rack of the clothes the store had on hand, testing and feeling each of the pieces, trying to decide what would be best.

Sarutobi watched her as she went about it. He had to give it to her, the girl went straight for the heavy duty wear and not for the more frail and delicate fabrics favoured but the younger kunoichi of today, a fact he was thankful for. The amount of injuries reported by Jounin sensei nowadays had him seriously considering a mandatory uniform for all new Genin. It was weird because with how much most new kunoichi tried to avoid injury they didn't seem to want to invest in clothes that would protect them more. It seemed style was more important than safety.

Sarutobi was just admiring one of the specially made staffs on display when Naruko finally made her choice. Hearing her steps he turned to see her and when he noticed what she picked out he bit back a chuckle and covered his grin with his hand. Her new sensei was going to love this girl.

When everything was rung up it was all Naruko could do to keep from wincing. She was right, ninja equipment wasn't cheap. She had enough to cover it but only barely. That was her savings gone.

"No kunai?" Sarutobi observed with a raised brow as everything was bagged.

Naruko shrugged. "I don't like the shape of the kunai. They seem too… bulbous is the only way I can describe it. The blade is too wide. To me knives always have to be thin and sharp. Maybe even with a single edge."

"Thin and sharp, eh?" Sarutobi muttered to himself thoughtfully. He regarded Naruko for a second before saying, "Wait here." Then he moved behind the shelves, leaving Naruko at the counter.

He returned a few minutes later with something clutched in his hand.

"Hokage-sama?" Naruko asked in confusion. "What…"

It was then that she realised that it was a knife that was held in the old man's hand. Single edges and full tang, it was a small blade meant to be held one handed. It was in a fine leather sheath.

"Hokage-sama?"

"This would be a good thing to invest in." The Hokage told her. "Even if you never become an master of the blade you should always have one on hand and since you don't like the kunai this one would be better."

Naruko looked uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I'll be able to get one right now. Maybe in the future…"

"You won't have to worry about the cost because I'm going to pay for it."

Naruko appeared slightly dismayed. "Hokage-sama, I told you I don't want--"

"It's not charity." He interjected firmly but kindly. He tilted his head to better look her in the eye. "Naruko, let's be frank. I failed in protecting you when you were young like I was supposed to. I regret that deeply but by some miracle you've turned out to be a fine young woman despite all the hardships you've had to endure. If paying for a weapon that would help you defend yourself even a little helps to make up for my failures then I'd gladly pay it a thousand fold."

Naruko still didn't look convinced. "Sir…" She sighed.

Sarutobi laid a hand on her shoulder with a kind smile. "If that doesn't work then think of it this way. With all the revenue you'll bring in doing missions I'll have my money back in no time. In the mean time just think of it as a loan."

That seemed to settle the young girl greatly as her shoulders relaxed visibly. She paid for her things and Sarutobi paid for the knife before they left the store, bags in hand.

From there the two moved on to pay a visit to a local dental practice to have Naruko's file started. It didn't take long but the elderly man who ran the clinic did spend an inordinate amount of time gushing over the fact that Naruko, a financially struggling orphan, managed to take care of her teeth so well over the years. Their next stop, the opticians, was, coincidentally, located right next door to the clinic and in a few minutes they had scans of her irises. When they got to the bank Naruko let the Hokage do most of the talking but made sure to memorise everything that was said and read anything that she had to sign first before even picking up the pen. She never noticed Sarutobi's approving smile.

Sarutobi held the door open, allowing Naruko to exit first. "Next stop: the hospital."

* * *

Naruko sat in one of the sterile examination rooms of the hospital as she waited for the Hokage to get one of the doctors to examine her. Her new gear lay on the chair beside her and she stared out the window at the small bird in the tree outside. The knock of the door interrupted her and she turned to see Sarutobi enter, a woman in a white coat following behind him.

"Naruko, this is Dr. Nata. She'll be the one doing your exam. There are a few of them so it might take a while but if you want me for anything I'll be in the doctor's lounge just down the hall, okay?" Naruko nodded and Sarutobi turned and left the two alone.

"Okay, Naruko-chan, let's get started." The doctor said with a kind smile.

The next three hours were a blur of questions, injections, scans and tests. The doctor tested every single aspect of Naruko's being, from her blood, to her mind, her organs and even her memory and IQ. She had Naruko jog on a treadmill, squeeze a ball attached to a computer to test her strength, tested her blood pressure and her recovery time, checked her lungs and took samples of pretty much every single substance that made up her body. Midway through, Naruko was starting to wish she'd visited the hospital when she was young. Then maybe she wouldn't have to go through all this. By the time it was over, she was sure that the doctor knew more about her body that Naruko herself did. It was then that Naruko decided she didn't like hospitals.

Finally, after some of the most tedious and invasive tests ever conceived, Naruko sat on the bed in the examination room, fully clothed once more. Dr. Nata was now off gathering all the results of her tests so that they could go over them. That surprised Naruko. She'd have thought that it would have taken weeks for the results to come through. She supposed having the Hokage with her worked in her favour and the hospital staff bumped her up the list.

She looked up as the door swung open and in walked Dr. Nata under a veritable mountain of folders. The brunette closed the door with her leg and set the files down on the table with a sigh of relief.

"Okay, Naruko-chan, we've got all the results back. Sorry for the wait, it's always hectic around here. Would you like the Hokage to be here for this or do you want to keep it private?" She asked.

Naruko thought about it for a moment. She and the doctor both knew that if he wanted to, the Hokage could just have her files sent to his office but there was really no reason for him to do that unless she was injured or he was selecting someone for a mission. "Tell me the results and if there is anything strange then tell me and I'll decide if I want the Hokage to know about it." She decided.

Dr. Nata nodded and picked up the first file. "Well, for the most part everything looks fine, perfect in fact. We can't find any illnesses, bacteria, infections or indeed any foreign biologicals in your body. Your blood pressure is regular, you're the optimum height and weight for a girl your age and with you on a healthy diet there has been no stunt in growth as you'd expect from someone who has lived on the street. The x-ray also showed no breaks or damages to your bones."

Naruko raised a brow at that. "I've at least fractured my arm before. Wouldn't that show up on an x-ray?"

The doctor nodded. "It would. I'll get to that in a minute. Your strength tests also showed you have physical ability far beyond that of most civilians and definitely far beyond that of a girl your age which is also something I'll talk about further is a second. You should be happy with this though." She smiled. "When we went over your IQ tests we found you were profoundly more intelligent than most full grown adults. The average IQ range of a person is 100 with a gradient of 15 and any active ninja must maintain a score of at least 110 or they would be given a warning. If it continued they'd be suspended and ordered to go through remedial classes to make up for the low score. Your results show you possess and IQ of 157, a feat practically unheard of for someone with your upbringing. We believe that given time and better educational materials your IQ could grow even further. You're a very smart young woman, Naruko-chan."

Naruko nodded in thanks at the compliment. "Thank you, Doctor, but you mentioned something about my bones and my strength?"

Dr. Nata nodded, the smile fading into a slight frown as she pulled another file. Flicking it open she regarded the results. She looked pensive for a moment, chewing her lip nervously before glancing at Naruko. "I really think the Hokage should be here for this. The results are… strange to say the least."

Naruko stared at the doctor for a long while, making the young woman squirm under that piercing gaze.

"Dr. Nata, how long have you lived in Konoha?"

The woman started slightly at the unexpected question. "Uh, my whole life. My family has been in the village since its foundation."

"And these results, are they strange in the fact that they are not common but still happen in a percentage of the population or are they unique to me?"

Now the doctor looked even more uncomfortable. "I don't know what you mean."

Naruko leant her back against the wall behind her. "I mean, are the results naturally occurring or does the Kyuubi have anything to do with it?"

Dr. Nata's eyes went wide as she stared at the teen in shock. She didn't know the girl knew anything about the truth of what happened on October 10th. Stuttering, she tried to compose a reply. "I-I, uh, I m-mean that's…"

Naruko resisted sighing. It was obvious the woman didn't know how to respond what with who she was talking to, what they were talking about and the ban the Hokage put on discussing the topic. He had ordered them not to tell Naruko or the younger generation anything about the Kyuubi but he didn't tell them what to do if Naruko already knew about it. She gestured towards the door. "You can go ask Sarutobi-sama to join us if it makes you feel comfortable." Wasn't it the doctor's job to provide comfort for the patient and not the other way around?

The woman couldn't have looked any more grateful and practically darted from the room to retrieve the Hokage. Naruko just lay back against the wall in silence. A few minutes later Dr. Nata returned with Sarutobi.

"I hear there are some irregularities with your tests, Naruko." He said casually as he closed the door behind them.

"Apparently so, sir. I believe it has something to do with my status as a Jinchuuriki." Naruko said, just as casually.

"Ah, I see." Sarutobi said. He turned to the doctor who hovered nervously off to the side. "Don't worry doctor, Naruko knows all about her status. If she mentions it then you may feel free to discuss it with her in private where no one else may hear you."

The woman sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Taking a breath for composure, she slipped back into her professional personae. "As you both already said, there were some discrepancies with Naruko-chan's results, predominantly with her bones and muscles."

"Well, what's the problem?" Sarutobi asked as he lowered himself into one of the chairs.

Dr. Nata grabbed something from one of the drawers and placed it on a machine on the wall before flicking it on, showing them a scan of someone's skeleton. "This is a scan of a normal human female's skeleton. As you can see there are faint marks; results of the bones being broken. Now, these breaks occurred years apart but the evidence still remains." She slipped Naruko's scan from her file and placed it on the machine. The results were instantly obvious.

"The bones in Naruko's scan appear brighter." Sarutobi noted.

"Not brighter." Dr. Nata corrected him. "Thicker. Naruko-chan's bones appear to be far denser than average while still retaining the size and shape of the bones in a girl her age. Her bone marrow also produces more red blood cells than normal, which would allow more oxygen to cycle through her body. Normally this would put more strain on the heart but Naruko-chan's heart also appears to be slightly larger and far more resilient than that of an average person, as do most of her major organs. In regards to her bones, this means that they would be harder to break than regular bones and her organs would work perfectly well in even the most unhygienic places on earth. Her skeletal muscles also appear far stronger and more tightly packed with a greater number of muscle fibres in them, allowing her to lift greater masses than anyone her size or anyone without the ability to enhance their muscles with chakra should."

Sarutobi appeared surprised by that but not unpleasantly so. "Well, there have been known cases in Jinchuuriki where their demons have provided them accelerated healing out of self-preservation but nothing like this. Could it just be an added bonus?"

Dr. Nata shook her head. "No, sir. When we did the blood clot test it took the same amount of time for the incision we cut into Naruko-chan's hand to close as it did for everybody else. There was no noticeable accelerated healing." She looked down at her files. "I had my colleague check the findings as he's an expert on chakra. He surmises that this change was integrated into Naruko-chan's system a few years _after_ the sealing."

They both glanced at Naruko who hadn't moved from her spot against the wall. "I had nothing to do with it." She simply said.

Turning back to Dr. Nata, Sarutobi asked, "Do you have any idea when this started?"

She shuffled to another part of the file. "As far as we can tell, around the time she was four or five. That's how long the change has been in effect as far as we can tell."

"Naruko, can you shed any light on this?" Sarutobi asked the silent teen.

She was quiet for a long time, staring off into space. They were starting to think the girl wasn't listening to them when she suddenly said, "I believe there may be something connected to this."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Nata asked.

Naruko pushed off the wall and rested her elbows on her knees. "When I was little I used to suffer from terrible headaches. They could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. When I told the care workers at the orphanage they said there was nothing they could do and sent me to bed. Sometime after I left I found a way to push back the headaches to the point where I couldn't feel them anymore. I still suffer from the headaches today but when I feel one coming on I simply push it back so I can't feel it."

"You mean you ignore the pain?" Dr. Nata corrected.

To their surprise, Naruko shook her head. "No. Ignoring pain means to forget about it; to drive it from your mind. I have to consciously push back the pain from my headaches until I can't feel it any more."

"How can you push back pain?" Dr. Nata asked incuriously. "It almost sounds like you can control your nerves."

Again, Naruko shook her head. "If I could do that then every time I pushed back the pain I wouldn't be able to feel anything else. As far as I know, nerves carry electrical signals to the brain which allows it to process feelings. Nerves in the fingers allow the brain to tell you what something feels like and nerves in your body send signals to tell your brain when you're feeling ill or hurt. When I push back the pain I can still feel everything except the pain in my head. I know it's there but I've gotten so used to it it's like your own heartbeat; you don't notice it until you look for it. It's like something on the very edge of my hearing. I know there is pain but I don't feel it nor does it hurt me."

That stumped them. What could this mean? What was causing the headaches? Could it be connected to the strange anomalies in Naruko's body? From the look on her face, Dr. Nata didn't know what was going on and she had the best medical knowledge of the three of them.

Suddenly, Sarutobi snapped his fingers. "I think I've got it!" He rose quickly and went to the window. Opening it, he made a small hand gesture and the other two blinked when the saw a cloaked Anbu suddenly appear on the ledge, a bird mask covering the face.

Turning back to the women, Sarutobi waylaid their concerns. "This is Hawk, one of my Anbu bodyguards. I believe he can help us. Naruko, Hawk has an ability that only members of his family posses. He can look straight through almost any barrier and also see inside a person, allowing him to see their internal organs and their chakra system. I think I know what's going on but Hawk would have to look at your chakra system and tell us what he sees."

Naruko resisted stiffening at the plan. The idea of someone looking inside her, seeing every part of her being, wasn't something she was keen on. She was a private person and she'd already gone through some very probing things today. Still, if she wanted to avoid dragging this thing out she supposed she should comply.

"If there is no other way." She relented.

Sarutobi nodded. "Hawk." He ordered. The bird mask turned towards Naruko and this time she really did stiffen as she felt something. It was like she was under a giant microscope with someone staring at her very intently. She tolerated it for a few minutes before the Anbu turned away, the feeling now fading.

He whispered something into Sarutobi's ear, causing the old man to nod. "Thank you, Hawk, you may return to your post." The Anbu bowed slightly and vanished from the ledge as if he'd never been there.

Lowering himself into the chair, Sarutobi sighed. "I believe we now know what the problem is." Turning to Naruko, he elaborated, "It appears the seal holding back the Kyuubi has a crack in it."

Dr. Nata gasped in horror and Naruko went rigid, her eyes widening. Sarutobi realised how he must have sounded and rushed to reassure them. "Nothing big! It does have a minute crack in it but nothing that would compromise the seal or endanger you, Naruko. The seal was designed to be maintained by your charka, Naruko, but since a newborn has next to no chakra, the power requirements weren't met. The Yondaime must have imbued a percentage of his own chakra into it to sustain it until your chakra could take over but he either misjudged the power requirement or he was too weak to put in enough. At some point the chakra supplying the seal wasn't enough and it cracked, leaking a small but non-lethal amount of the Kyuubi's chakra to constantly bleed into your system. It would eventually be overpowered by your own chakra but not for a long time. This is what caused your headaches."

Naruko and Dr. Nata breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Do you mean when I pushed back the pain of my headaches I actually controlled part of the demon's chakra?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "Not entirely. I believe you actually managed to control your chakra, even if it was accidental, and use it to, for lack of a better word, smother the slivers of the Kyuubi's chakra, holding it in place so it couldn't do any damage."

"I don't understand." Dr. Nata interjected. "How does this apply to her strange body structure?"

"Hawk said that the Kyuubi's chakra has been absorbed into Naruko's body,_ not_ her chakra pool. If it had gone through the seal, the Kyuubi's chakra would have been purified and added to your own chakra pool but since these small doses didn't they hadn't. Without the seal, the demon's chakra would have taken months to be purified but before that could happen it was absorbed into Naruko's body; into her bones and organs. To put it simply, every time you suppressed the pain of your headaches, you were in fact saturating your body with the demon's chakra. As a result your entire anatomy has become more resilient. As a side effect you must have been repressing the healing factor you would have gained as well. Not surprisingly, you also have a very large chakra pool but I can't sense it."

"I thought larger chakra signatures were harder to hide." Nata leaned forward. From a medical standpoint this was _fascinating!_

Sarutobi nodded. "They are but Naruko here has actually been suppressing her chakra almost her entire life. Now, this doesn't mean you have great chakra control. Any ninja can suppress their chakra but it takes hard work to control it. Think of it like you're hiding your chakra. It's easy to hide but hard to control. Right now all I can hardly even sense anything from you at all but if you tried to use chakra then anyone could find you in a second, no matter how bad they are at sensing chakra." He leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I think thought that when you try to use your charka, you won't be able to hide it. You can use it or hide it but not both at the same time. Ninja who have received training can but you'll have to work at it for a while. There may also be some issues in controlling it but that's for your sensei to decide."

Naruko nodded in thought and was silent for a moment before turning to Dr. Nata. "Was that all?"

Sarutobi and Nata stared at the young redhead incredulously.

"What?"

Sarutobi shook his head with a chuckle. "I wish I had your unflappability, Naruko." He turned to Nata as well. "Was there anything else, doctor?"

Nata blinked a few times before shaking her head. "No, Hokage-sama, that's all. Everything else was good. Naruko-chan is in perfect health in every sense of the word."

"Good." Sarutobi rose from his chair, dusting off his robes as he did so. "If that's all then we should be going. I need to get Naruko's information filed and I'm sure she's tired after all the excitement today. Thank you for you work, Dr. Nata."

Naruko thanked her as well and followed the Hokage out of the hospital, breathing deeply of the fresh air after being stuck in the sterilized hospital for so long.

Sarutobi glanced up at the sun. tucking Naruko's files under one arm. "I'm afraid I need to be heading back to the office, Naruko. I need to set everything up for your Pledge of Service and arrange your sensei. In the ninja primer look up the section on pledges, it will tell you what you have to do and say during the ceremony and what to expect. You'll need to memorize the Pledge of Service fully but it's a small passage so I wouldn't worry. We'll hold the ceremony in three days to give us both time to prepare and you should come to my office wearing your new uniform since we need to take your shinobi ID photo. Do you understand all that?"

"Yes, Sarutobi-sama." Naruko nodded.

"Excellent, I'll see you then." With that Sarutobi vanished in a swirl of leaves, surprising Naruko. Shaking it off the young teem hefted her bags and carried them towards her home.

* * *

"You're crazy. No, you've always been crazy but now you've gone off the deep end."

"Koharu."

"I mean what you're suggesting! It goes against all moral thinking!"

"Koharu."

"You always wanted to keep civilians as far away from ninja business as you could but now you've done a complete one eighty!"

"Koharu!"

"What!?" She shouted.

"Would you sit down, you're making me dizzy." Sarutobi looked frazzled as Homura watched the exchange with much amusement.

The elderly advisor flumped down onto her chair with a huff. "No more dizzy than you already are, you senile old monkey. I mean what you're suggesting--"

"Is the best possible course of action." Sarutobi interjected firmly. "Koharu, I've weighed all the options and this one is by far the best choice of them all."

"How? How is sending a fourteen year old civilian girl into the field the best course of action? What could have possibly convinced you that this would be a good idea?"

"I have to agree with Koharu, Saru." Homura said, leaning back in his chair. They were in Sarutobi's office and he'd only got out a few words of his plan before their kunoichi team mate lambasted the Hokage. "I don't see how this is a good idea but I would like to hear _all_ the reasons first before anyone flies off the handle again." He finished, looking pointedly at Koharu who just crossed her arms prissily.

Sarutobi leaned back in his own chair as he pulled out his pipe and lit it with a flick of a match, ignoring Koharu's disapproving glare. Seriously, the woman needed to lighten up, especially at her age. "The girl I have in mind is being targeted by a very elusive and very dangerous group calling themselves Akatsuki. Jiraiya found out what they're doing but not why or when but the fact of the matter is that when they move it will be hard and decisive and the girl needs to be as prepared as she can be."

"And who's this mystery girl who demands so much attention?" Homura asked, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Uzumaki Naruko."

Both Elders became deathly serious at the name. "You've found her?" Koharu asked curtly and to the point.

"I have."

"When?"

"Three weeks ago Hatake Kakashi's Genin team encountered her during a D-rank mission during which she saved the life of Genin Haruno. I ordered them to find her again but she proved elusive and it took them a week to do so."

"Someone nearly died during a _D-rank_?" Homura asked incuriously. By the look of it Koharu shared his thoughts.

Sarutobi just shook his head hopelessly. "Apparently one of the crates that were stacked at the top of a pile fell over and nearly crushed Genin Haruno. Naruko was actually able to catch the crate by herself, a feat even a trained Chuunin would have trouble with."

"That _is _impressive." Koharu concurred evenly. "But I still don't see how joining the ninja program is the best course of action. She's never had any formal training for God's sake!"

"Koharu, will you just trust me?" Sarutobi asked tiredly. "How about this. I'll have her sensei fill out progress reports on her for the first few months and if in that time she doesn't seem to be adjusting to the lifestyle then we'll consider other options. For now just give her the benefit of the doubt. You had the same concerns when her mother arrived from Whirlpool Country and look what happened there."

"Uzumaki Kushina _was_ a fine kunoichi and a strong addition to the ranks." Homura agreed thoughtfully. He glanced at Sarutobi. "And is she aware of her… _status_?"

Sarutobi nodded. "I told her when I first spoke to her."

"And?"

"And she poses no threat to the village or its people nor does she show any signs of demonic influence. She wasn't even aware that the Kyuubi was inside of her."

"She could have been faking." Koharu pointed out.

Sarutobi shook his head and spoke firmly. "No. I saw the look in her eyes. She was surprised, angry and scared, you couldn't fake that."

They fell into a thoughtful silence. After a few moments Homura let out an agitated sigh. "And we _still_ don't know who her father was?"

Sarutobi and Koharu let out their own sighs, ones of annoyance and exasperation. "_No_, Homura. Why are you always so fixated on that?" Sarutobi asked, shaking his head.

"I don't know, it's just something that's always bothered me." The glasses wearing man admitted. Ever since the night of the sealing, the identity of Uzumaki Naruko's biological father bothered him. There were no records or evidence hinting at who the mystery parent was. For some reason unknown even to himself, Homura never bought the excuse that Kushina was just a kunoichi that wanted a child but not the commitment one usually brought, even though she fitted the bill perfectly.

"Anyway," Sarutobi said, diverting the course of the conversation into safer waters. The conversation with Naruko had really rattled his nerves when it came to secrets and he didn't want to discuss any until he was sure he wouldn't give away any more vital village secrets. "The main reason I called you here was that I need you to stand witness to her Pledge of Service in a few days time. After that she'll meet her new sensei and her team."

"Who've you got to act as her sensei?" Koharu asked.

Sarutobi couldn't help bit grin a little as he told them.

"Are you serious?" Koharu asked, staring at Sarutobi like he was some strange bug. "Saru, the man is insane. You're actually suggesting putting that poor girl through that?"

"If you think about it it's really the best course of action." Homura said. "His other student's seem to progress well enough with him as their sensei."

Koharu scoffed. "Yes, but those students were trained for years to withstand things that would brake a normal person. Having him as her sensei would be like throwing the girl into a shark tank with only a spoon as protection."

"You worry too much. So will you be there for the pledge or not?" Sarutobi asked. The two advisors nodded before raising and leaving the office, leaving Sarutobi to his thoughts.

* * *

The three days passed in what seemed like no time. Since she had officially stopped taking odd jobs around the village, Naruko had decided to use the small vacation to relax. She somehow didn't feel like she would get relaxation after she became a ninja. So she spent her days either sitting in the Shack or basking in the sun on one of the old sun chairs out on the roof outside, pouring over the books she bought. The very first thing she did was memorize the Pledge of Service which, as Sarutobi had said, wasn't really all that long. She had it memorized within the hour. After that she went through all the rules and regulations, finding out what she could and couldn't do as a ninja. She noted that her ability to travel outside the village would be cut back and that if she did leave then someone would know but that didn't bother her. She'd never left before and didn't plan to anytime soon so it was no big loss. She also noted that as a ninja she had all the legal rights and responsibilities of a full adult and also was allowed to carry weapons on her person at all times without penalty but was cautioned that any violence would be dealt with immediately. Surprisingly to her she actually found herself engrossed in the books and had read through half of them by the time the three days were up.

So it was with no little trepidation that she rose three days later and, fully suited and booted in her new uniform, headed towards the Hokage Tower. As she made her way through the village, Naruko found her ridged self-control taxed to the limit.

People out and about on yet another hot summer day paused to glance at what looked like one of the newest village Genin. That's when it hit them. That girl was Uzumaki Naruko. _The_ Uzumaki Naruko, the ice bitch herself! What was she doing, all dolled up like a ninja? Was this her latest way to plague the village, by mocking their defenders? How dare she walk around in public armed with that knife? What was she up to? Probably no good, as usual.

That was just a few of the many thoughts running through the minds of the citizenry as they watched the teen stride through the village. A few ninja had seen her and had also noticed the weapons she carried. A few were considering stopping her and confiscating the lethal tools and asking where she got them but their curiosity stopped them so they just watched and waited.

She could feel them. Feel each of the eyes watching her as she walked. She saw them out of the corner of her eye, staring and whispering to each other, some of the less tactful ones openly pointing like she was a sideshow attraction. In all her life she never wished more for their steadfast ignorance of her existence. For them to look right through her as if she were not there at all. All the attention was unnerving.

'_Oh, Gods.'_ She thought mentally as she clenched and unclenched her hands at her side, stoutly resisting running a hand through her hair self-consciously. She forced her head to remain upright, her eyes staring straight forward. It felt like she was walking though water. Her every movement felt somehow slowed and the heavy gear she carried, so unfamiliar in its weight, was making her every step feel like a stomp. The feeling of being a slow, lumbering oddity was not helping her at all.

'_Oh, Gods.'_ She thought again. A large part of her mind was screaming at her, telling her to turn around and run back to the Shack and to her life of blissful obscurity but she wouldn't let her legs listen. She doggedly forced one leg in front of the other, literally marching towards the Hokage's office. She snorted in her mind at the thought. She really was a soldier now, wasn't she? She was already _marching _for God's sake!

Finally, and thankfully, she arrived at the Hokage Tower, ignoring the confused looks of the guards stationed at the perimeter gate, and headed up to the Hokage's office. When she arrived she took a few composing breaths, cracked her neck nervously and knocked twice.

Sarutobi was seated at his desk, the wood astoundingly free of papers for a change as he waited for Naruko to arrive. He didn't have to wait long before there was a sharp knock at the door. "Enter." He called. He watched with a smile as the door opened slowly and his smile stretched into a grin as he took in the soon-to-be kunoichi. She really did look the part.

Naruko's choice in clothing had always been practical and tomboyish and her newest clothes did nothing to deviate from that path. Her entire body was covered by a set of olive drab fatigues, a harness about her shoulders and hips, holding a few packs. The blade Sarutobi bought her was worn over her left breast and instead of traditional sandals she wore black leather combat boots. Her hands were encased in a pair of gloves, minus the thumb, pointer and middle fingers and her fatigues' sleeves were rolled up, exposing the sleeves of her skin tight black undershirt, the fabric smooth and waterproof. Around her neck like a choker was a radio, the earpiece firmly in her ear.

"Reporting as ordered, Hokage-sama." She said firmly, if nervously as she stood to perfect attention. Sarutobi chuckled in his mind. She must have been practicing.

"So you are, Naruko. So you are. Are you ready?" He asked. The girl nodded once and so Sarutobi rose from his desk. Placing a friendly comforting hand on Naruko's shoulder he led her out of the office and towards the roof. There they met who Naruko assumed where the Elders the Hokage had been talking about. They stood in the bright light, their robes shifting slightly in the wind. They watched as the Hokage and their newest ninja approached.

"Naruko, this is Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, my previous team mates and two of the village's Elders. They will be the ones to bear witness to your pledge." Sarutobi told her.

Naruko bowed to the retired ninja. "Koharu-sama. Homura-sama." She said respectfully.

"Well you were right about one thing, Sarutobi, the girl does have manners. Such a shame that it's a hard thing to come by in teenagers these days." Koharu quipped to the Hokage. All jokes were set aside in the next moment when the three leaders turned to the young woman before them. High above, the stone faces of the past Hokage watched as yet another aspiring young soldier joined the ranks of the village's defenders.

Sarutobi, Koharu and Homura stood together across from Naruko, who was still at perfect attention, her hands firmly at her sides.

Homura started things off. "There is usually a lot more prompt to this but since this is a small affair I'm sure we can dispense will a lot of the formalities. As ninja of Konohagakure we swear an oath to serve and protect our village from all who would do her harm. We swear to commit ourselves, mind, body and soul to the preservation of the values set down by our forefathers and do so promise to uphold the honour and sanctity of the village."

Koharu picked up next. "As ninja it is our duty to protect, to serve, and when necessary, to kill. It is our given task to live in shadow and act as the watchmen of the Land of Fire, eliminating any and all threats to the future of all its people. We do this not for personal glory or gain but to secure a future for the next generation and to ensure our way of life endures."

Finally Sarutobi spoke. "Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage and the father of Konohagakure, built the village around his philosophy; his Will of Fire. He believed that each and every ninja in Konoha must love, believe, cherish and fight for the village's sake. His ideal is what sets us apart from the villages beyond our borders. Where most believe that no price is too great to pay for the success of the mission, it is in that instance that Konoha stands alone. It is our bonds of brotherhood, our oaths of camaraderie and our trust in our team mates that drives us forward and allows us to overcome even the greatest odds. Konoha is not a village of individuals but of family. That was Senju Hashirama's dream. Uzumaki Naruko, step forward!"

Naruko took one step forward, staring at a point over Sarutobi's left shoulder, still rigidly at attention.

Sarutobi watched the girl. Her body was as firm as stone, unwavering with the nerves he knew she must be feeling. Her face betrayed none of her inner thoughts or feelings. But her eyes were different. Whereas before they were blank icy slates they had undergone transformation. He once dull blues were brimming with blazing determination but those flames were not wild and uncontrolled. They were fine and honed into a keen blade, ready to vanquish all who stood against her.

"Uzumaki Naruko." Sarutobi recited evenly, staring into the girl's eyes. "Do you swear to uphold, cherish and protect the values of Konohagakure?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to stand against any and all who would threaten Konohagakure and its citizens? To stand alongside your fellow ninja, never faltering or wavering against even the greatest odds?"

"I swear."

This was the crucible. "Do you swear to fight, and if necessary, to give your life for the village? To obey any order, travel any distance and fight any enemy no matter how great or numerous they may be? Do you swear to offer your life and that of your enemies to ensure that Konohagakure endures now and forever?"

What was in actuality a heartbeat felt like an eternity of eternities. For a brief, terrifying moment Sarutobi saw a flicker in those glacial eyes. A shadow of doubt and uncertainty. Naruko's eyes dropped as did Sarutobi's heart. Just as he was about to reach out to the girl, those blue eyes snapped to his. Sarutobi bit back a gasp. It was as though those two diamond hard ice chips were ablaze, burning right through him and looking into his very soul. It was in that instance that Sarutobi saw the woman Naruko would become. He just hoped the world was ready for the storm that was about to overtake it.

"I swear."

Sarutobi smiled faintly. "Uzumaki Naruko we are ready to hear your Pledge of Service."

Naruko took a deep breath and began to recite the words she had memorized so intently. "I, Uzumaki Naruko, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Village Hidden in the Leaves against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the rank of which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Sarutobi pulled something from his robes and Naruko stood proudly as the Hokage tied her hitai-ate about her head, the metal leaf emblem gleaming in the sunlight.

"Uzumaki Naruko, you have sworn fealty to Konoha and to the office of the Hokage. As of this moment you are Genin Uzumaki Naruko, kunoichi of Konohagakure. May you wear the title with pride." He stepped back, smiling proudly, and slammed one hand to his chest, over his heart. The warrior's salute. Behind him Koharu and Homura mimicked him.

Naruko returned the salute perfectly, holding it until Sarutobi himself released it before falling back to attention.

"Congratulations, Naruko." Sarutobi smiled. "Your mother would be proud." _'As would your father.'_

Naruko nodded back, a small tug at her lips. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Suddenly a bright flash went off and Naruko jerked back in surprise, blinking furiously to try and get rid of the after burn on her retinas. When she was finally able to see again she notice Sarutobi standing there with a camera in his hand that he didn't have a moment before, a cheeky grin about his face.

"What?" He asked, seeing the looks he was getting but his grin didn't fade. "You want to memorize the day don't you? And what better way to do that than with a picture?"

Koharu and Homura just shook their heads at their old friend. They each shook Naruko's hand, exchanging a few kind words before they shuffled off down the stairs.

Naruko watched them go until a hand landed on her shoulder. Looking round she saw the Hokage standing there, smile still in place and his camera nowhere to be found. "Let's head back to my office, Naruko, your sensei is going to meet us there."

With a nod she allowed Sarutobi to escort her off the roof. Just before she was out of sight she risked a glance back and could almost swear that her father's carved face was _smiling_ at her.

* * *

A few minutes later Naruko was sat in Sarutobi's office, reclining on the couch as the older ninja flicked through a few forms as they waited for her new sensei. Naruko herself sat in the chair opposite of Sarutobi. She was still and silent for the most part but every few moments she reached up to adjust her new headband, her brow almost furrowing in annoyance. Sarutobi noticed this. "Problem, Naruko?"

Naruko thought for a moment before asking, "Hokage-sama, is there a rule that says I absolutely have to wear the metal plate of my hitai-ate? I just can't get it to feel comfortable at all and the weight is strange."

Sarutobi looked minutely surprised. "Well, most new Genin prefer to wear their hitai-ates for the first year or so, partially because they are excited to be ninja finally but also so they aren't mistaken for academy students." He chuckled at the thought before waving his hand dismissively. "You don't have to wear the metal plate but I'd suggest keeping it on your person in you need to identify yourself. Oh! That reminds me." He reached into his robes before tossing something to her which she caught easily. Glancing down she saw a pair of metal tags on a metal bead chain.

"Dog tags?" She asked, surprised. She didn't know ninja wore dog tags.

Sarutobi nodded. "While a hitai-ate is used to show who is from where in a battle the dog tags are more important. A ninja battle is usually very messy and I'm afraid hitai-ates don't help us identify bodies. Plus they are very easy to duplicate and in the case of an emergency you may have to present your dog tags to show you're not an enemy posing as an ally. You'll need to ware those at all times when you're on duty, be you fighting, eating, sleeping or even bathing. Most just leave them on all the time to be on the safe side."

Naruko nodded in acknowledgement and hung the chain around her neck before tucking it into her fatigues. She then reached up and slid off her hitai-ate. She stroked the unblemished metal with the pad of her thumb, gazing into a pair of reflected icy eyes, before unfastening the metal from the cloth. She slid it into one of the pouches at her waist and retied the cloth around her forehead slightly higher than usual to hold back her short hair. The cloth was longer than the ones she usually saw and the ends hung down her back in two long tails, falling between her shoulder blades. With that done she leaned back in her chair, folding one leg over the other and closing her eyes as they awaited her sensei.

They sat like that for a while. The only sounds in the expensive office were the ticking of the clock, the shuffling of papers, the scratching of a pen and the muttered curses of an overworked old man. Naruko actually found the quiet sounds quite soothing and couldn't help but doze a little, her breathing slow and peaceful. Privately, she thought that the Hokage's office was a rather calming place.

At least she did, until that peaceful calm was shattered.

The door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, startling Naruko who gave a very out of character expletive, her rough and tough upbringing coming to the surface for a second before she forced it back down.

"GOOD MORNING, HOKAGE-SAMA! I TRUST YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE BURNING AS BRIGHTLY AS EVER THIS FINE DAY!?"

Naruko spun in her chair, confusion etched onto her face and with one hand clamped over her racing heart, before she stopped completely and utterly, the strange sight before her robbing her of all coherent thought.

The cause of her shock was the man currently blocking the doorway. This man was also quite possibly one of the strangest people she had ever seen in her life. Clad in a Jounin vest over a neon green jumpsuit which was a few millimetres away from being entirely _too_ snug, his shiny black hair had been trimmed into a perfectly shaped bowl cut below which a pair of gargantuan eyebrows twitched in time with his dazzling smile, the strength of which nearly blinded the girl.

From behind her, Naruko heard Sarutobi give a long suffering chuckle. "Hello, Gai. Right on time as usual, eh?"

"Of course!" The man, Gai as she now knew, replied boisterously. "I feared I may have been late as I yet again challenging my spirited eternal rival, Kakashi, to a contest of skill. It was his turn to pick and he chose a coin toss. I am happy to say that today my Flames of Youth out burned his own and I now lead by 52 wins to 51 losses. When I saw the time I then raced across the village as fast as I could to finally meet my new pupil."

"I'm happy to hear it, Gai." Sarutobi said. For some reason Naruko got the feeling he only listened to half of what the man had been saying. With a small grin on his face, Sarutobi gestured towards the girl in the chair. "Maito Gai, I'd like you to meet Genin Uzumaki Naruko, your new student. I'm sure you'll get along famously."

Gai's gleaming eyes swerved down to lock on the newest member of his team and he ginned hugely, a glint of light sparkling off his teeth as he gave her a thumbs up. "Hello, Naruko! I am Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast and sensei of Team Gai: Maito Gai! I look forward to teaching you and hope that I can help fan your Flames of Youth into an all consuming inferno!"

"Thank you." Naruko said dryly. "I…look forward to the opportunity to become a ninja. Thank you for taking me on, Gai-sensei." She bowed slightly.

"Ah, so polite! I can tell we'll get along famously. I hear from Sarutobi-sama that you have already purchased your new gear and are ready to learn."

"Yes." Naruko said as she stood from the chair.

Gai's eyes widened in startled wonder as he saw his newest student. Before, the chair had been blocking most of his view of the girl but now that she was standing he could see the full extent of what she was wearing. It was so…_green!_ Oh, joyous and wonderful Gods above he finally had another pupil who embraced the gorgeous colour as much as he and Lee did! His grin grew to manic proportions, slightly scaring the two other occupants of the office as great crocodile tears flowed from his eyes.

"YOSH!" He cried, making Sarutobi and Naruko wince at the loudness. "At long last, God has sent me the final piece needed to make my team truly Youthful! Uzumaki Naruko, I swear here and now that with my tutelage you too will become a Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha! No, wait, 'beast' is too brash a word for a lady. You will become Konoha's Beautiful Green Flower!"

"Please don't call me that."

Gai didn't hear her, so lost in rapture as he was. This was truly the work of some higher power. Not only did he have a new kunoichi student, that according to the Hokage, embraced hard work, was perfectly suited to learn taijutsu, had the body for it and already had the maturity of people more than twice her age but they were also on the same wavelength when it came to fashion (For the most part)! Oh yes, his team's future was looking up.

He turned to Sarutobi, practically radiating excitement. "Hokage-sama, if there is nothing else I would like to take young Naruko here and introduce her to her team mates so we can get started right away?"

Sarutobi smiled and gestured towards the door. "Feel free, Gai."

"Excellent! Come, Naruko, let us go meet you new team mates!" With another beaming grin, Gai turned and raced from the office, kicking up a trail of dust behind him.

Sarutobi tried, he honestly and truly did but the look of sheer terror in Naruko's eyes as she slowly followed her new sensei out of the office caused him to erupt in pails of laughter even as he prayed for the poor girl's sanity.

* * *

**There you go. It's shorter than usual but that's where I wanted to stop the chapter.**

**To see what Naruko looks like as a ninja go to my bio where you will find a link to my Deviant Art page. Give me any ideas you have for the name of Tenten's mother. Remember to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the extravagant wait, but it was hard trying to pace Naruko's training while still making it believable, by Gai's standards at least. That, and my internet died on me. It was terrible! I had withdrawal symptoms! Well, at least it's over now. Read and enjoy! And review! **

**CHAPTER 4**

"Gai-sensei, will you _please _slow down?" Naruko insisted for the umpteenth time as her teacher began to vanish into the crowds yet again. She wouldn't have thought his pace a problem if she wasn't rushing already.

Gai stopped, chuckling sheepishly as he waited for the girl to catch up. "I'm sorry, Naruko." He supposed he had been in a bit of a rush.

Naruko said nothing as she caught up to him and together they manoeuvred through the rush hour crowds. It was midday and the shopping hours were at their zenith as was evident by the thick sea of life congregating in and around the shopping district. The weather was perfect for it, a hot sun high in a clear sky.

"If you don't mind me asking, sensei, where is it we're going?" Naruko asked as she stepped aside to avoid a very haggard looking mother laden down with many bags and three loud children.

"We're heading towards our team's training grounds. When we get there I'd like to talk with you before we meet your team mates. Then after that we can get started on the training!" Gai's eyes practically glowed at the prospect.

"Talk about what?" Naruko asked, glancing at him from the side of her eyes.

"Not here, Naruko, you'll find out when we get there." He said, glancing around at the crowds.

Naruko understood immediately. This was not a conversation for just anyone to hear. That most likely meant it was about something very classified or very personal, and that could be anything from the Kyuubi, Akatsuki, her unique body structure or her heritage. For a greenhorn she sure knew a lot of big secrets…

They continued on in a mostly comfortable silence the rest of the way as Gai led her away from the urban centre of the village towards the more secluded training zones. Concrete and glass was gradually replaced by trees and dirt as Gai led his new student along a dirt path that cut through a small forest. It was quite secluded, the only sounds being that of the local wildlife and in the distance Naruko could hear the sound of rushing water. They continued along the path for fifteen more minutes before the trees suddenly gave way into a large clearing. It was fairly large, the circumference being around five-hundred meters in total. A small waterfall falling from a small jutting of rock was apparently the source of the sound of running water, a quaint little pool at its base. Three very worn training posts, each as thick as a tree, were set into the ground a few meters away.

"This, Naruko, is training ground 9." Gai proudly proclaimed sounding like a beaming father showing off his newborn son. "This is our team's registered training grounds so even when we're not scheduled for training it should be empty if you ever want to use it. We usually meet here Monday through Friday for training unless we have a mission." He spoke as he led her over to the training posts, motioning for her to sit. She did so, leaning her back against the worn wood as she rested an arm on her raised knee, the other lying limp in her lap.

"You mentioned there were things you wanted to talk to me about?" Naruko got straight to the point.

"Yes there are." Gai said as he sat cross legged in front of her. "The first and most important topic is your training."

"I figured as much."

Gai nodded. "This is a difficult position we are in, Naruko. Hokage-sama has told me of the threat Akatsuki poses not only to you but to the rest of the world as well. He impressed upon me the need for you to become strong as quickly as possible so that you will be ready for when they make their move. With this in mind I have to say that while forty-five hours of training a week may seem rigorous for a person suddenly thrust into the life of a ninja it won't be enough. You've been severely handicapped by not attending the academy. We'll have to start from the bottom and work our way up and if we're going to do that then you'll need to commit yourself one-hundred and ten percent to getting stronger. To this end I highly recommend that you join the pre-training training sessions that I and another of your team mates have every weekday morning."

'_Pre-training training sessions?' _Naruko thought in confusion. Was that even a real thing? "If you think it would be best, Gai-sensei." Was all she said. Who was she to tell a seasoned ninja how to train when she herself had been a newly minted Genin for all of two hours? "If I may ask, what will we be training in?"

Gai placed a hand to his chin in the classic thinking pose. "We have a lot of ground to cover. Chakra usage and control. Physical conditioning. Weapons training, survival techniques, hunting, foraging, basic shinobi knowledge. Pretty much everything that you should have learned in the academy. We'll actually have to over a good deal of the curriculum as a matter of fact."

"So we're going to force several years worth of school curriculum into several months?" Naruko guessed flatly.

"Yes we are!" Gai grinned.

'_He seems excited.'_

"Are you sure that's possible?" Naruko asked shrewdly. She was confident that if she applied herself she could learn a great deal of it but several years worth of schooling in just a few months?

"Don't worry, Naruko!" He gave her another one of his blinding grins along with a thumbs up. "If I fail to teach you the whole curriculum in that time then I vow to climb the Hokage Monument five-hundred times using only my pinky fingers with a boulder strapped to my back!"

Naruko blinked, taken aback and more than just a tad startled. "Isn't…isn't that a little extreme, Gai-sensei?"

"Nonsense! If I should fail then by pushing myself to new hights then I can make sure that the next time I will prevail!"

Naruko just stared at her sensei for a few seconds longer before simply asking, "Was there anything else?"

Gai rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before he snapped his fingers, a look of realisation dawning on his face. "Ah yes! Now Hokage-sama told me about your… _unique_ physiology and to that end I would highly suggest that of all the areas of ninja skill you should focus on taijutsu the most."

"Taijutsu?"

"It's one of the three basic areas of ninja skills. Taijutsu means physical combat skills and martial arts. Ninjutsu means the use of chakra and jutsu. Genjutsu is the skill using illusions to confuse and in some cases kill your enemies. I myself am a highly proficient taijutsu master which I believe to be one of the reasons the Hokage assigned you to my team in the first place. The fact of the matter is that your body is in every way perfect for a taijutsu user. Your bones are thicker, you have greater stamina than a normal person, you have far more endurance than most people, you hits can already do tremendous damage, I could go on. That's not to say that you cannot learn other skills but taijutsu would still be the best option for you."

"I think I understand." Naruko nodded.

He was about to say something else when something caught his eye, causing his face to break out in his infamous grin again. He leapt to his feet, prompting Naruko to follow although at a far more sedate pace. "Ah, here come your team mates now!"

Naruko followed his gaze to watch the path leading back towards the village. At first she saw nothing but then her eyes narrowed. Something was coming up the path. And it was coming quickly. Slowly a cloud of dust appeared thought the trees and before Naruko knew it a green, black and orange blur shot past her, kicking up a gust that pulled at her hair and clothes.

"Gai-sensei!"

Blinking the dust out of her eyes, Naruko turned to what she guessed must have been one of her team mates. When her eyes were finally clear enough for her to get a good look her eyebrows rose.

'_Is that Gai-sensei's son?'_

Standing before Gai was what could only be described as a miniature clone of her sensei. Only when she looked closer could she see the differences between the two. The smaller of the two lacked the Jounin vest and chiselled facial features of Gai, having more of a baby face. A pair of round eyes stared up at the Jounin filled with a mix of respect, adoration and pride. It was only then that Naruko heard what the two were saying.

"Gai-sensei, I've completed my daily run around the village! Adding ten more from last week that brings me up to three-hundred laps in total!" The boy saluted sharply, his entire body perfectly straight.

"Thataboy Lee! I can already see how much your Flames of Youth have grown since I left you this morning!" Gai gave the young teen a thumbs up. If Naruko didn't know better she could have sworn that she saw sunlight reflecting off of his teeth for a moment but she quickly dashed that foolish thought as soon as it came.

Gai grinned down at his beloved student with a beaming smile. "Lee, today is a good day indeed. I've just come from a meeting with Hokage-sama and I've brought some good news. We have ourselves a new team mate! This is Uzumaki Naruko, our new kunoichi comrade!" He swept an exuberant arm in Naruko's direction, drawing Lee's attention to the girl he had yet to notice.

Lee looked over his shoulder to see the impassive redhead standing politely a few feet away, not saying a thing. In a moment he was before her, startling the girl with his speed.

"Ah, please forgive me. That was most un-Youthful of me to not notice you before. I am Rock Lee, the second Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" His introduction was the same as Gai's had been, right down to the wide grin and patented thumbs up.

Yet again Naruko could have sworn she saw light reflect off of pearly white teeth.

"Uzumaki Naruko." Naruko nodded back. "Pleased to meet you."

"So this is the latest reject we've been lumbered with, is it? Not much of an improvement from the others."

Naruko turned to see another boy walking calmly from the shade of the trees. Compared to the other male members of the team he was perfectly sedate in both speech and manner. He regarded Naruko impassively save for a small frown which marred his slightly feminine features.

Lee too frowned but this one was directed at the newcomer. "That wasn't very kind, Neji. You should show some respect to our new team mate."

The boy, Neji as Naruko surmised, ignored the bowl haired teen, instead focusing his attention on Naruko. "I don't recognise you. As annoying as they were I at least have a recollection of what the so-called 'kunoichi' in our class looked like. Yet I can't seem to recall you."

Naruko turned to face the boy fully. "I doubt you would have, Neji-san, since I was never a part of your class."

Neji's eyes narrowed in what Naruko could tell was distain. She'd seen it often enough to be able to pick up even the faintest traces. "So what, you're from the year ahead of us? Were you not good enough to be placed on a team or did you just graduate last month?"

"Neji…" Gai warned from where he stood a few feet away from the group.

Naruko didn't even blink at the insult. This boy would have to try far harder to get under her skin. Instead she just shrugged casually. "Neither. I never attended the academy and I became a Genin a little over two hours ago."

The boy recoiled as if slapped and he blinked in surprise before his face twisted in anger as he turned to Gai. "So we're accepting civilians into the ranks now, are we? What, did the Hokage want to make this team even _more _pathetic than it already was?"

"The Hokage had a very valid reason for doing what he did, Neji. It's not your place to question his decisions." Gai said sternly, surprising Naruko. Given what she had seen in the brief time she'd known him it just seemed strange to see him be anything but loud, excitable and eccentric.

The teen didn't appear appeased but said no more on the matter, instead opting to scoff angrily and cross his arms.

A tense silence permeated the air for a few moments before Gai clapped his hands together loudly, gaining their attention. He motioned for them to sit down. "Alright, now listen up. From here on out we are a team and we're going to act like it whether you like it or not. Naruko here will fill in the position of Team 9's kunoichi and even though she has yet to receive any proper training she is to be treated like any other comrade." He looked pointedly at Neji who ignored his sensei's look. "Now, over the next few weeks I'll be working with Naruko to get her up to speed. That's not to say that she'll be getting all the help but I'm sure that you'll agree that needs the help. Before we go any further however introductions are in order. Lee, why don't you start to show Naruko how it's done?"

The bowl-haired youth sat up noticeably straighter, a huge grin in his face. "Yes, Gai-sensei!" One hand shot into the air as if he was making sure that everyone's attention was on him despite the fact that they were all sitting right beside him. "I am Konoha's second Beautiful Green Beast: Rock Lee! My hobbies are training with Gai-sensei and practicing my Goken. My dream is to one day become a great ninja who uses only taijutsu."

Gai grinned approvingly. "Very good, Lee. Neji, you're next."

Said Hyuuga merely turned his head away from his team mates. "My name is Hyuuga Neji. I have no interest in answering the rest."

Gai gave a long suffering sigh at the boy's anti-social manner. Schooling his face into a more encouraging expression he then turned to Naruko. "Naruko, your turn."

Naruko looked down at her hands in thought. Her nimble fingers played with the strap of her glove as she thought about what to say. ":My name is Uzumaki Naruko. My hobbies are, uh… reading and cooking, I guess. I don't really have a dream." It was never really something that she considered before. In all honesty she'd never really had much say in the matter. Before meeting the Hokage, her main goal consisted of making sure she didn't starve to death. She guessed that now her goal was to make sure she wasn't killed by those Akatsuki people.

Gai was a little disappointed but didn't let it show, instead pumped his fist into the air, his booming voice echoing across the field. "Yosh! Now that that's done with, let's get on with the training. Lee, Neji, I need to work with Naruko until she has a grasp of the basics so for now I want you two to work on your trap making skills. One of you will take up a defensive position in the forest while the other will attempt to bypass those defences and tag you. After that switch over and do the same thing."

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee gave sharp salute. Neji just nodded. Together the two vanished into the trees, leaving Gai and Naruko alone.

The Jounin turned to his newest student with a smile. "Okay, Naruko, for now we'll start off slow. Right now I'm going to show you a few stretches that you'll do every morning before training. Trust me, you don't want to attempt any heavy training without warming up first or you could seriously hurt yourself."

For the next half hour Gai showed Naruko through a number of stretches and breathing exercises, each focusing on a specific part of the body. Finally they finished and Gai moved onto the next part.

"Okay, Naruko, now we're just going to run a few quick laps around the training field. This isn't a race, it doesn't matter how quickly you do it only that you try to do all the laps."

"How many laps have I to do?" The girl asked as she tightened her bandana.

"Fifty." Gai said as if he were talking about a quick jog around the block.

Naruko blinked and opened her mouth to say something but before she could get any words out Gai was off like a rocket. Biting back a curse, Naruko took off after him, already wishing she had taken off her equipment harness as the jostling pouches made running difficult and slightly awkward.

Naruko had to admit she surprised herself. She already knew that physically she was perfectly fit, a fact which the trip to the hospital three days before had confirmed. Therefore she was very proud when she managed twenty laps before things began to get difficult. From then on out it was a struggle to put one foot in front of the other as she struggled to draw air into her burning lungs. Her legs screamed out in protest but she ignored them, focusing all her will on simply finishing the lap she was on, then the next, then the one after and so on. Gai was with her every step of the way, shouting encouragement and egging her on. Naruko would have probably appreciated it more if she could actually hear what he was saying over the pounding of blood rushing through her ears.

Finally she allowed herself to collapse face first onto the grass. Sweat was pouring off her in rivets, her legs burned, a stitch in her side ached painfully and her lungs felt several sizes too small as they struggled to take in air. Sadly before she could get too comfortable Gai was there pulling her to her feet.

"Not so fast, Naruko, you need to cool down or your muscles will hurt a great deal more than they do now."

Never one to complain Naruko doggedly went through each cool down exercise, albeit a little sluggishly.

"Excellent, Naruko!" Gai praised as she finished up. "That was very good for your first time. You even finished quicker than I expected. I'm going to check on Lee and Neji. Take a fifteen minute break to catch your breath then we'll progress onto the actual training." He walked off in the direction his other two students vanished, not noticing the look of incredulousness on Naruko's face.

'_Actual training? Then what did I just do?' _Not knowing what to expect next the redhead didn't plan on missing one second of her break and pulled her canteen from its pouch with a weak grunt. Unscrewing the lid she drained half of it, feeling sweet relief as the ice cold water ran down her parched throat, quelling the burning she had been feeling. She wished she could drain it all but wanted to keep some for later. For the next fifteen minutes she just lay there watching the clouds as the burning in her lower body died to a dull ache after a few seconds.

All to soon Gai came bounding back into the clearing, showing far too much exuberance and energy. He motioned for her to stand which she did with some reluctance. "Okay, Naruko, for the first few weeks we're going to be focusing on the simple things a ninja should know: throwing kunai and shuriken, using explosive notes, tree hopping, etc. But probably the most important thing is getting you into shape. For a civilian you're perfectly fit, but ninja must be at the peak of physical ability. That means that most of your training will be physical workouts, for now at least. We'll get to the more difficult things like chakra and control later on. Right now I want you to go over to those posts and hit it a hundred times with each fist as hard as you can. After that move onto kicks."

Naruko nodded and did as she was told. Standing before the centre post she clenched her right fist, the tough leather of her glove creaking slightly. She glanced back at Gai who nodded to her. Letting out a breath she reared her fist back and sent it crashing into the centre of the training post with such force that a slight tremor shivered through the ground. Small chunks of bark broke off, the gnarled chits of wood falling away to reveal the smoother, pale wood underneath. Another punch landed and more chunks of bark broke away, larger this time. Naruko continued to hammer away at the post, never once pausing until she had hit it one hundred times. Then she switched hands and repeated the process.

Maito Gai watched his new student pound away at the battered post with a smile on his face. Oh yes, he thought, Uzumaki Naruko would make a fine ninja. And he was determined to make her into one.

* * *

It was several long, gruelling, sweaty, painful hours later Naruko limped away from the training grounds towards her home. The sun was beginning to set, a flaming blob of orange falling towards the horizon, casting the village in long shadows and stabs of light. The stores and shops had been closed for hours. The summer days may have been longer but the work hours were not.

Her legs felt like they had been hollowed out and filled with lead as she dragged one foot in front of the other, barely having the strength to lift them from the ground, so the toes of her boots left small furrows in the dusty street. Her shoulders were hunched and her arms dangled lifelessly, swaying with each step she took. She couldn't see them but she knew that underneath her gloves, her knuckles were raw and maybe even a bit bloody from punching that damn log so much. Her legs would probably be covered in bruises as well. Hell, from the way she was feeling she'd be surprised if she wasn't covered in one big bruise. She felt like she was ready to keel over. In fact that sounded rather nice. Just fall forward and go to sleep. Ah, blissful unconsciousness…

No, she'd probably get into trouble for sleeping in the middle of a public street, no matter how tired she was.

She swallowed in a vain attempt to bring some moisture to her dry as a desert mouth. '_Note to self,' _she thought, '_bring more water next time. A gallon or two at the very least.'_

Eventually she reached the alley leading to the stairs to the Shack. She fell through the hidden hole in the fence and gave a pained grunt as she dragged the metal covering back into place behind her. Stumbling over the rubbish in the backcourt she looked up at the stairs she had to climb. She almost cried. She was sure there hadn't been that many steps this morning.

The climb alone almost killed her. Her muscles, still burning from earlier, screamed out in protest as she used them to haul her tired, battered body up the many, many, _many_ steps to the very top of the building. She could almost hear them begging for her to stop. Oh how she wanted to.

On her hands and knees she finally reached the summit. She almost fell as she tried to get to her feet and she slumped against the Shack door. Having neither the patience or the energy to deal with the lock she simply forced the door open with a well placed nudge of her hip. She'd fix in the morning. All she wanted to do now was sleep, shower and eat before she was forced to return to the Hell that awaited her at training ground 9 under the guise of a friendly, green-clad Jounin called Maito Gai.

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his office, happily sitting at his empty desk. All the reports had been signed, all the proposals had been either approved or denied, the missions that had been sent in that day were tagged and ready to be issued, and important letters had been replied to. His workload was, for once, done. He leaned back in his padded leather chair, his hands crossed behind his head. What would he do with this rare window of free time? He could take a walk in the park, it was always nice this time of the year. He could go grab a good meal at one of the fancier restaurants in the village. Ooh, he could go have a look at those new bo-staffs his favourite weapons store has on display.

Or he could…

Sarutobi's wrinkle-lined eyes narrowed. He stood from his chair and made his way around his desk towards the door. Cracking it open ever so slightly, he peered down the corridor towards the desk of his personal secretary. She was talking on the phone, to one of her friends if her lack of professional etiquette was any indication, while she twirled a stray lock of hair around a pencil. She was distracted. Perfect.

Closing the door softly, Sarutobi rushed back to his desk and plopped back onto his chair. He felt under the desk for something. "Aha!" He found what he was looking for and withdrew the small key he had stuck to the underside of the desk with a bit of sticky tape. He inserted it into the lock of the very bottom drawer of his desk and grinned when he heard the soft click.

Reverently, he slid the drawer open and withdrew the small book kept within. It was slightly dusty which showed just how long it had been since he last had a chance to read it. Well that was about to change right now.

He sighed contently as he leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on the corner of the desk, and opened the book to where he had left it last. _'Jiraiya, my boy, you may be a menace to the female population and have practically no shame whatsoever but when it comes to writing you are a genius. Ooh, Aika-chan, you naughty, naughty girl…'_

He was just getting to the good part when his keen ears picked up the sound of talking in the corridor just outside his office.

"Good morning, Miko-san! No, please don't let me interrupt your phone call, I've got a meeting scheduled with Sarutobi-sama. I'll just let myself in, no need to get up."

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he heard the doorknob start to turn. It took every shred of skill he had ever amassed in his many years to slam the book back into its drawer, lock it and compose himself before the door opened fully and in strode a beaming Maito Gai.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama! I'm here for the meeting regarding young Naruko's training."

Sarutobi mentally smacked himself. How had he forgotten about the meeting? "Perfect timing, Gai, I was waiting for you." A little lie never hurt anyone, right? "Take a seat."

The exuberant Jounin did as he was told, his features becoming slightly more serious as the meeting began.

"I've been looking over the reports you submitted over the last two months and I have to say, Gai, I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Gai nodded.

Sarutobi plucked a folder from his desk and looked through it. "It says here that you've already given Naruko the final tests for the first two years of the academy? And that she passed them?"

"With flying colours, yes sir."

"And what about her skill with the three academy jutsu?"

"She finally managed to get a grasp on the Kawarami last week, although it's still a bit iffy when she performs it under pressure. Her skill with Henge is coming along slowly but surely. Her biggest problem with it is keeping her chakra from spiking and shattering the illusion. She'll master it soon, she just needs a little more time."

"And her ability with the Bunshin?" Sarutobi asked over the folder.

Gai shifted slightly in his chair. He seemed uncomfortable. "I think that with a lot of practice and hard work she'd manage it… if given a few lifetimes to work solely on her chakra control…" He grimaced, obviously not liking saying anything negative about his students' abilities.

"So the Bunshin is a no go?" The Third asked, one white eyebrow arching in question.

Gai sighed, his shoulders slumping. "No."

"Hmm." Sarutobi rumbled as he went back to the file. "I didn't think so. From the chakra burst she caused when she unlocked her chakra I doubt it'll ever be controlled enough for a perfect Bunshin."

Gai nodded. A month before he had taken Naruko aside and showed her the steps and meditative techniques necessary to unlock her chakra. The Hokage had decided to tag along and watch the whole thing for his own reasons, concealed from view in the leaves of a nearby tree. It was tricky since Naruko had already unlocked her chakra but had been suppressing it unconsciously for most of her life. It was only after nearly two whole hours of meditating that Gai had sensed the first spark of chakra light up within her system. That spark grew and grew until it flowed through her entire system, like water through a long abandoned pipe.

The problem was it didn't stop growing. The chakra levels kept building and building until it was rolling off Naruko in waves, rattling the branches of the nearby trees and kicking up a small gale. Naruko hadn't been aware of this, no one really is when they unlock their chakra. They're told about it by their sensei and friends afterwards. It took a few minutes, during which Naruko's chakra had continued to radiate, but eventually he had managed to snap her out of her trance. Sarutobi had left to head-off the ninja rushing from nearby training fields and even from the village itself to investigate the strange chakra source and had sent them back about their business.

"Speaking of chakra control, how's Naruko's coming along?" Sarutobi asked, breaking Gai from his reminiscence.

The spandex wearing Jounin sighed and scratched his head. "Slowly. Very Slowly. I considered showing her the leaf exercise but with her levels of chakra I think it would be just as redundant as the Bunshin at this point. We're starting off big and working our way backwards. I've shown her the tree climbing exercise and have her working on that a lot of the time."

"And how's she coming along with that?" The Hokage asked, as he continued to read the file in his hands.

Gai looked rather proud. "She's yet to make it more than three meters up the tree but she keeps at it, heading right back up the tree almost as soon as she falls out of it. I think she's quite determined to get it down despite some, uh… initial setbacks."

Sarutobi laughed lightly from behind the folder. He knew what the Jounin was talking about. On a whim he'd activated his old viewing orb and looked in on Naruko's training to see Gai lecturing her on the basics of the tree walking exercise then watched as the he told her to try it. Naruko had strode right up to the tree, placed one foot to the trunk, and channelled her chakra. Sarutobi had almost died laughing at the looks on their faces when the wood imploded under her foot and the entire tree came crashing down, narrowly missing a meditating Hyuuga Neji.

Gai just chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Neji hadn't gotten any better in his attitude towards his new team mate and after that little incident he was adamant about having as little contact with her as humanly possible, for the safety of them both Neji had said. Gai mentally sighed. He really wished the boy would get over his distain for his team mates.

"What about her other skills?" Sarutobi asked.

Gai thought about it. "Well, she can throw kunai and shuriken well enough but she still needs some practice. She's proven rather skilled with explosive notes. Sadly she has no genjutsu abilities whatsoever, but that's not surprising really." He chuckled slightly at the next part. "She's actually proven quite devious when setting traps. She nearly caught Neji with one once, even when he had his Byakugan activated. Her tracking skills are improving by leaps and bounds as well."

Sarutobi nodded along with each point. "It seems she's coming along even quicker than we anticipated. My compliments, Gai, you're quite adept when it comes to teaching it seems."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Gai beamed.

"What I really want to hear about is her taijutsu. How's that going?" Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, placing the file on the desk before him.

Gai placed a hand to his chin as he thought about it. "Well… she's both progressing well and hit a wall, if you can understand that."

"Oh?" Sarutobi asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. He folded his hands and leaned forward on the desk. "What do you mean?"

"Her physical training continues to progress at an astounding rate. She performs any training exercise I assign her without complaint and has completed every task I have set her so far." He smiled proudly. "She reminds me of Lee when he started training with me. Her Flames of Youth burn strong!"

"Yes, I'm sure." Sarutobi said dryly. Clearing his throat he asked, "So you've found her a style to use?"

Gai sighed, his excitement ebbing away. "No. That's the wall I was talking about. She's been ready to start training in one for a while now but we can't find one for her to use. She's already proven too rigid for Goken and, with all due respect, sir, I'd rather not teach her the academy taijutsu. It would just mean she had to learn a different style when she starts going on higher ranked missions. We've been working to find her a style but it's slow going."

"That's unfortunate, Gai, but I trust you'll find one eventually."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"One last question. What's it like having her as a student?" Sarutobi asked.

Maito Gai just grinned.

* * *

Naruko collapsed to the ground heaving for breath. She painfully rolled onto her back and lay spread-eagled, staring up at the cloudless sky. She squinted as her sensei's silhouette loomed over her, blocking out the sunlight. She could tell instinctively that he was grinning at her.

"Can I get you anything, Naruko?" Gai asked.

"A quick, merciful death?" The girl wheezed painfully.

Gai chuckled and shook his head. "Anything else?"

"Water. Very cold water."

He smiled and handed her her canteen. She took it with a nod of thanks, draining half of it and pouring the other half over her head in an attempt to cool herself down. A blisteringly hot summer was definitely _not_ the best time to start heavy training.

"You did very well, Naruko." Gai said as he sat down beside her. He watched his two male students spar in the distance. As usual Neji's Gentle Fist was slowly overcoming Lee.

"Thank you, Gai-sensei." The redhead panted. "But are you sure that was a real training exercise?"

"Of course it was." Gai said innocently. "What made you think it wasn't?"

She stared at him. "I've never heard of any exercise that involves me doing laps while carrying a boulder that's almost as big as I am." She explained dryly.

"Nonsense." Gai waved her off. "It's a perfectly normal training exercise. I've been doing it for years, and Lee's been going it for almost the entire time he's been training with me."

'_Doesn't exactly make it normal.'_ Naruko thought as her breathing returned to normal. It was a little past noon and she'd been up since a little before six that morning for her pre-training training session (Was that even a real thing? She kept meaning to check.) with Gai and Lee. It had been pure physical conditioning, like always.

Naruko raised her hand before her face and made a fist. The leather of her gloves creaked with the gesture. She was stronger now, even stronger than she had been before and that was saying a lot. Naruko wasn't vain by any means, in fact she was usually quite uncaring of her appearance, but when she had started the training she had feared what it would do to her figure. She had no wish to go around looking like some lumbering, muscle bound she-beast. But to her great surprise that didn't happen, in fact it seemed like she had actually gotten sleeker, more streamlined.

That wasn't the only benefit she gained. She was quicker, stronger, more agile, more limber, and simple _better_ than she was before in nearly every physical way. She'd become more enduring too. She was fairly sure what training had only nearly killed her today would have most definitely killed her two months ago, and considering her sensei was Maito Gai that was saying a lot.

'_Far more training than Neji has done at any rate.'_ A small, proud voice said in the back of her head. She glanced over at where the Hyuuga prodigy was standing over a knocked out Lee, watching impassively, and a tad smugly, as their sensei roused the unconscious boy.

It was true. Since the first day she noticed the vast difference in training time that Neji committed himself to compared to her and Lee. Sure, few people could match the sheer amount of effort put forth by Lee and Gai in their dedication to improving themselves, but she was getting there. Hopefully she'd retain most of her sanity though. She had no wish to become a Youth-fanatic like them. Still though, sometimes it seemed the Hyuuga didn't need to train as much as them to be a good ninja. He didn't earn the title of prodigy through book smarts alone after all. Things just seemed to come naturally to the raven haired boy.

Grunting, she hauled herself to her feet. She was hungry and it was time for their lunch break. She wandered over to where Gai was helping a slightly woozy Lee to his feet, who was still feeling the after effects of Neji's Gentle Fist. She could sympathise. She'd sparred with Neji twice before and had been soundly thrashed both times. A beating from a Gentle Fist user was very painful.

"Good work, boys." Gai was saying as she approached. "Lee, you've gotten even better but you still overextend your arms slightly, allowing Neji to dart in and seal your chakra points. I understand your desire to get to grips with your energy, but you must learn to rein in your excessive Youthfulness and not let it control you. Learn to channel it into an unbeatable force!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" The devoted boy shouted, matching their teacher's volume. He snapped off a sharp salute, despite still feeling the after-effects from Neji's devastating taijutsu.

Gai turned to Neji. "Neji, you live up to your title of prodigy admirably, but you must not let up in your training. Your reaction time is getting slower, just as Lee is getting faster. He nearly broke through your defences many times during your match."

Neji's didn't say anything, but he still nodded in agreement. When it came to taijutsu Maito Gai was an expert on the subject and any advice given should be taken seriously.

Gai glanced up at the sky, checking the sun's position. "That's enough training for now, it's time for lunch. Let's go."

He led them away from the training fields and back into the village. They made their way through the packed markets where the customer rush was in full swing. Businesses, schools, offices and even homes had emptied as people decided to eat out for lunch today. Most were seated outside cafés, teashops and bars, enjoying the summer blaze as they nursed cold drinks and small meals. Team 9 meandered through the bustling throng. They reached a small junction that branched off in all four directions, practically overflowing with bakeries, cafés, bars, pubs and small shops. They each broke off, Neji going in one direction, Lee and Gai in another, with Naruko heading off down a little side street, each heading off to grab the food of their choice.

The little street Naruko was in was not filled with shops, but stalls and stands. A hazy cloud of light grey smoke coloured the air and the scent of cooked meat filled her nostrils, making her mouth water. This small corner of the village was one of her favourites. It wasn't the cleanest or most glamorous place you'd ever visit, but the food was amazing. Good old fashioned home cooking. Real greasy spoon.

She pushed her way through the thick forest of bodies, moving from stall to stall, looking for something that took her fancy. She stopped at one little stall near the end of the small street which was run by a thin old man that, by the looks of him, was still very spry. A genuine lifelong worker it seemed.

The man finished handing an order to a off-duty builder and turned to the young girl eyeing the small menu he'd taped to the front of the stall. "What'll it be, girlie?" He asked. His voice was rough but kind.

"I'm not sure." Naruko said as she reread the menu. She was ravenous and it all sounded good. "What would you recommend?"

The man wiped his hands on a grease stained cloth. "Well I'm not one to boast, but I've always thought the spicy kebab was particularly delicious. Three sticks of well cooked meat covered in some of the hottest sauce you'll find."

She looked up at him. "How spicy is it?"

"So spicy it should come with its own safety rating." The old man laughed.

"I'll take it." Naruko said. "Use a lot of sauce. And can I have a soda as well?" She added as he went about whipping up the order. He pulled one of the cans from the small mini-fridge hooked up to a small, dusty generator and she pulled out her wallet to pay for it. That was one of the things she loved about being a ninja. They got basic pay. It wasn't much, but it allowed them a little food money. The real cash came from taking missions.

"Thanks." Naruko said as she took the polystyrene tray holding the sauce covered kebabs in one hand, grasping the can in the other. Careful not to drop her food, she forced her way out of the small street and headed towards the team's lunch spot. It was a small, above ground sitting area under an overhanging roof, looking out onto one of the larger streets. It was also the team's meeting place, apparently, where they would meet on the days they had to talk about important things. Lee told her it was where Gai had taken them on the day of the team assignments.

She crested the top of the stairway leading to the sitting area and saw that the others had already arrived. Lee and Gai were sharing a small pizza between them, talking animatedly, while Neji sat off to one side, looking down at the busy street below as he sipped from a cup of red bean soup. Naruko plopped down beside Lee and set aside her soda. She picked up one of the sticks of meat and, after making sure it was covered in a satisfactory amount of sauce, took a bite. Immediately she blew out a breath as her mouth and throat caught fire. Tears streaming from her eyes she popped the seal on the can and downed a mouthful of the cold soda, sighing in relief as the burn subsided. She coughed slightly and patted her chest. The stall vendor wasn't kidding. This stuff could burn through a bank vault! You'd need a stomach of iron to just to eat it!

And that was just the way Naruko liked it.

She tore off another bite, and leaned back against the padding of the seat as she chewed. It was good food. She was definitely visiting that stall again. The old man had found himself another regular customer.

"Naruko?" Lee said as he turned to the girl. She turned her head slightly, still chewing on the meat, and raised an eyebrow to show she was listening. "I was wondering, have you found yourself a taijutsu style yet?"

Swallowing, she shook her head. "No. Gai-sensei and I tried a few new ones, but nothing we've tried has been right so far. There's always been a problem with the style or with me. We're still looking." She took another bite of her kebab.

Lee nodded. "That's unfortunate. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't have my Goken. The feel of perfecting your skill is very invigorating."

Naruko nodded, but inside she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Lee was a sweet boy, he really was, but sometimes he spoke of his taijutsu as if it were his firstborn son.

"I'll find one eventually, Lee. I'll manage until then." She assured him, taking another bite.

"Still, you've come far since you started training with us." He said. He took another bite of his pizza, then said, "I still don't understand why you don't take up weights thought. I think they'd be perfect for you."

Naruko thought it over as she sipped her soda. Gai had told her about them when they first started training. Apparently, weights were very old school in the ninja world, and not many people used them nowadays. Gai was one of the exceptions, now so was Lee. Most ninja these days improved their speed with chakra, but Gai had decried it as lazy. Sure, they improved their speed through training, but not as much as they used to. Hard work, he said, was the only real way ninja improved themselves. He'd offered to start Naruko on a regiment with them, but she'd turned him down. Gai didn't mind. He said she showed, what was it again? Ah yes. 'An admirable and Youthful drive to improve herself through hard work alone'.

She shook her head. "No. I'm still new to all this ninja business." She waved her hand around as if to illustrate her point. "I know that eventually I'll be in a fight. I'm not comfortable with the idea of being held back by weights yet. Maybe later on. For now I want to have as many advantages in a fight as I can."

"You'll need them." Neji muttered just loud enough for them to hear, not taking his eyes from the streets below them. Gai and Lee shot him reproving looks. Naruko looked as if she didn't even hear him speak. Instead she just continued talking as if there had been no interruption. She didn't see it, but a flash of annoyance crossed his features at her snubbing his ridicule.

"I think I'll stick with running laps and lifting weights. It takes longer and the effects aren't that noticeable at first, but I think I prefer it."

Gai nodded sagely. "Naruko's right. While you can't see the effects easily at first, training without any equipment beyond your own body can be just as effective as training with even the heaviest of weights. In many ways it's just as, if not more admirable than training with weights."

Lee exhaled in awe. "Yosh! If it didn't go against the rules Gai-sensei set for me when I took up weights I would have relished the opportunity to have trained myself to my limits using your method, Naruko!"

Naruko shrugged and sipped her drink. She just didn't want slabs of heavy lead strapped to her legs in a fight.

They finished their lunch, and after tossing their rubbish in the trashcan, started to rise from their chars. Naruko was draining the last of her soda while Lee turned to their sensei. "So back to training, Gai-sensei?"

Surprisingly, Gai shook his head. "No, Lee, I thought that today we could take our first mission."

Naruko choked on her soda.

Lee's eyes lit up. "Yosh!" He cried, pumping his fist into the air.

Neji just grunted.

"A mission?" Naruko asked. She turned to Gai, a pensive look on her face. "We're taking a mission?"

Gai nodded. "Yep, now let's go!" He led them away towards the Hokage Tower, Naruko trailing along behind.

* * *

"Ah, Gai! I was wondering when we could expect your team." The Sandaime said as they walked into the missions hall. This was the one day of the week when Sarutobi made time in his packed schedule to sit in at the missions desk for a few hours and keep in touch with his ninja. Plus it gave him an opportunity to talk to people. It could get pretty lonely in that office by yourself.

"Hello, Hokage-sama!" Gai called exuberantly as he strode the length of the hall, his Genin following behind him. "Yes, we're here for our first mission, so please make it a good one?"

Sarutobi chuckled and started going through the many tagged scrolled that sat on his desk, stowed on neat racks. "Sure thing, Gai, let me see what we have."

Unnoticed, Naruko was biting her lip worriedly, a look of extreme trepidation on her face. A mission. They were going on a mission. _She _was going on a mission. What were they thinking? She'd only been on the team for two months, only been training for two months. Was she ready for a mission? She didn't know, she wasn't use to these things yet. She tried to repress the rising waves if anxiety rising in her like bile. What were they going to have to do? Guard a convoy against bandits? Steal some kind of treasure or document from a village? Oh Gods, what if it was an assassination?

"Ah, here we go. Your mission is to find, capture and retrieve Tora the cat." Sarutobi said, holding up a scroll.

Naruko's face went slack as her brain shut down. _What did he just say?_

"So little Tora has slipped the net again, has he?" Gai chuckled fondly. "We'll take it!" Behind him Lee beamed. Neji mumbled something under his breath that sounded strangely like 'that damn cat again'. Naruko just stared, her mouth agape.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Gai said as he tucked the scroll into his vest pocket. Neji and Lee headed for the door, but Naruko stayed put. He stopped beside the girl and looked at her quizzically. "Naruko, are you okay?"

Her mouth worked but she couldn't seem to form any words. She was standing there worrying herself into grey hairs about whether they were going to have to be thieves or executioners today only to find out their big mission was to _find someone's lost pet_? She felt like she'd just been slapped! "I- You- That-" She tried to say, but the words just wouldn't come.

Gai chuckled deeply and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder as he turned her towards the door. "I know, Naruko. I know." He consoled her as he guided her out of the office. Naruko kept trying to say something, but all she could manage was an odd chocking sound.

* * *

When they emerged from the bottom of the Tower, Gai turned to his students, his trademark grin in full effect. "Now, my students, as per usual I'll leave this mission in your hands. Work hard and you'll complete it in no time. I'll be watching, but I won't interfere unless I have to."

"We won't fail you, Gai-sensei!" Lee vowed determinedly.

Gai smiled at the boy. "I know you won't, Lee. Now, go and retrieve little Tora so we can return him to his owner. I'm sure he's missing his by now."

Neji snorted incredulously at that.

Gai just smiled and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Come on, let's get this pointless mission over with." Neji told them, turning towards the more heavily forested areas of the village without waiting for his team mates to follow. With a whispered word he activated his Byakugan, the bulging veins around his eyes making his stare even more intense and unnerving.

"What's the plan?" Naruko asked as she and Lee caught up to him.

"Usually, Neji finds Tora with his Byakugan and we chase him down." Lee explained as they walked.

Naruko blinked and looked at the excitable boy. "That's it? I would have thought there'd be a lot more planning involved."

"If you don't like it then stay here. You'll only slow us down anyway." Neji said snidely, without looking back.

Naruko slowed to a stop and watched as they continued up the street. Neji knew she'd stopped but Lee was too busy chastising him on her behalf to notice. She watched them until they vanished around the corner and out of sight. She stood there for a few more seconds, then headed in the opposite direction, towards the markets.

* * *

They'd finally cornered the damnable thing. After almost an hour and a half of chasing it through trees, streets and gardens, they'd finally tracked the cat down to a small copse of trees near the training grounds. The trees were too thick for it to continue on so now the only chance of escape was through them.

Neji was a right state. There were a number of thin, deep scratches on his face and hands, and his clothes were dirty and rumpled from the long chase. Lee was even worse. The boy's face was a patchwork of bloody slashes, but was still fixed in a determined smile. Neji knew Gai was watching them from the trees above them. He had no idea where _she _was. Probably off crying somewhere. Good. Served her right thinking she could be a ninja.

"Lee, don't let it get by you." He warned as he spread his stance, ready to pounce.

Tora hissed and stepped back until the thick wall of vegetation behind him blocked any further retreat. His yellow eyes were narrowed, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He was pressed low to the ground, ready to dart past the two boys at the first opportunity.

They faced off, two boys against one cat. The forest around them seemed to grow quiet, as if hushing in anticipation as the tension mounted. Every sound seemed to be amplified a hundred fold. Neji's sandals dug into the dirt. Tora spat at them angrily. Lee's eyebrows drew together as he tensed. All it would take was the slightest trigger for it all to kick off.

Suddenly, Tora perked up, his small nose twitching as he sniffed the air. His head turned from side to side as he tried to catch the scent again. He caught it and casually slinked away from the boys, leaving them standing there completely ignored, and vanished through a small bush at no rush at all.

Mystified and confused, Neji and Lee looked at each other. What had just happened? They followed after the cat and pushed through the bushes to see the very last thing they were expecting.

Naruko was knelt on the ground, holding a hand out to Tora who was licking something from her cupped palm. In her other hand she held a small packet of catnip, already opened. She scooped the cat up into her arms, an action which the feline did nothing to fight, and poured some more of the catnip into her hand for the small him.

Neji and Lee just stared at her stupidly. Gai bellowed with laughter and dropped from the tree, going over and clapping a hand to the girl's shoulder. She looked up at him as she continued to feed Tora, who was literally purring like a newborn kitten in her arms.

"Well done, Naruko!" Gai beamed, a proud smile on his face. "I was wondering where you were. I suppose this was all your idea?"

Naruko nodded and looked down at the cat in her arms. "Cats like catnip." She shrugged. "I knew it'd be hard to find and catch a cat, so I thought I'd use it to flush out Tora and convince him to come with me."

Gai laughed again, a look of delight on his face. He turned to his two stupefied male students and said, "You see this? 'A ninja must use all tools available to him'. Sometimes the best answer to a problem is the simplest one. Very well done, Naruko!"

"So that's where you went!" Neji said as he shoved his way through the bush. "You left to get that damn catnip and left us to chase after that thing!"

Naruko looked at him innocently enough, but Neji could see a small gleam in her icy blue eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I had a plan and I went with it. Seems to have paid off, too." She looked down at the cat laying in her arms.

Neji grit his teeth as his pride took a blow. The bitch was mocking him.

"Amazing!" Lee exclaimed as he went over to her. His wide eyes stared at the small cat in the girl's arms as if he were witnessing a miracle. He had his small, trusty notebook out, quickly jotting down notes. "I never even thought about using bait! It takes some of the sportsmanship out of it, but the amount of mission time it cuts means we can take even more missions in a day!" His hand was practically a blur as he wrote.

Gai chuckled. "I think that's enough excitement for today. Let's get little Tora back to his owner. I'm sure she's missing him." He led a satisfied Naruko, an awestruck Lee, and a fuming Neji back towards the village.

* * *

They were about halfway through the village when she heard it. She stopped in the middle of the street and strained her ears, her team moving past her. The street was practically deserted, so there wasn't much noise. She tilted her head, trying to increase her hearing.

"Naruko?" Gai asked once he realised she wasn't walking with them. "What's wrong."

She looked at him. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Lee asked. He and Neji had stopped when Gai did.

Naruko didn't answer. Her eyes narrowed as she listened.

Neji sighed in annoyance. "What are you doing?"

Naruko held up a hand, not looking at him. "Shut up." She said distractedly.

Neji blinked, then narrowed his eyes angrily. "What did you-"

"Shush!" Naruko snapped. She turned and headed towards a small side alley. It wasn't very long, the and at the other end she could see the bustling crowds of the markets. She stepped into the alley.

"Hello?" She called. She strained her ears again. There! A small sound. The soft sound of someone sobbing. "Is anybody there?" She tried again.

The sounds of sobbing stuttered and stopped. From behind a pile of old, stacked boxes a head popped out. It was a child, a small child at that. Golden curls framed a round, cherubic face and a pair of big, beautiful blue eyes looked at her fearfully, fat tears tumbling down her soft cheeks. She was the picture of angelic innocence.

"Hello?" Naruko asked gently. "Are you okay?"

The little girl sniffed and hiccupped as she spoke. "I can't find my mommy." She said, her tiny voice croaky with tears.

Naruko moved closer and knelt on the ground a few feet from the girl. She was tiny, no more than four or five. She was sitting against the stone wall with her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She was looking up at Naruko with heartbroken eyes and the redhead couldn't help but feel for the child. She knew what it was like to be alone and terrified in a place you didn't know.

"My name's Naruko." She said, making her voice as soft and soothing as possible. It was the first time she'd ever had to talk like this. "What's yours?"

The girl rubbed her eye with her chubby fist and sniffed. "Hitomi."

"Hitomi. That's a very pretty name. Where did you loose your mommy, Hitomi?"

The girl pointed towards the opposite end of the alley where the crowds where. "There. I wus lookin' at thuh buttahfly an' when I looked fo' Mommy she wasn' there!" The girl's eyes watered and she started to cry again.

Naruko looked hopeless and turned back at where the guys were watching from the end of the alley. She looked at Gai for some advice on what to do, but the Jounin just motioned for her to continue. She gave him and incredulous look. Did she look like she knew how to handle crying children?

Realising that no help was coming from there, she turned back to the crying girl and floundered for something to say. "Hitomi," She tried. "What was your mommy wearing? What clothes did she have on?"

The lost toddler sniffled loudly and looked up at her. "A dwess."

'_Well _that _was informative.' _Naruko thought. She looked around, as if hoping an answer would jump out from behind one of the overflowing trashcans and save her. Sadly, she didn't have that kind of luck, and no solution came to her. She tried to think objectively. She had no idea how long the girl had been here, she didn't know how far she might have wandered, she didn't know where she stayed, and she had absolutely no idea what to do. Did she go looking for the mother? Bad idea since she didn't know what the woman looked like, what her name was, or if she was even still in the area. Did she take the girl to the Military Police? Maybe the mother was there? Not likely. The Hokage Tower was closer. Surely a frantic mother who had just lost her child would go to the closest gathering of ninja available, and since that place was the heart and brain of Konoha it made it almost definite. She'd take the girl to the Hokage and hope for the best.

"Hitomi?" Naruko said softly. "Do you want to come with me and find your mommy?"

The little girl lowered her head and stared at her distrustfully. "Mommy said nuht to go wiff strang'rs."

Naruko frowned and bit her lip. What could she do to convince the girl to trust her? Suddenly she remembered, and reached into one of the pouches at her hip. She pulled out the metal plate of her hitai-ate and held it up so the girl could see it clearly. "See this, Hitomi? It means I'm a ninja. I help people. I want to help you. You can trust me, okay?"

She waited with baited breath as the small toddler examined the engraved plate. The girl seemed to think hard, her small face scrunching up cutely. Finally she decided to trust the bigger girl and stood from the ground. She shuffled forward, her big eyes fixed on the ground. Her head snapped up when she heard a soft meow and her eyes went wide when she saw the small, ginger cat held in the older girl's arms.

"Hewo!" Hitomi said quietly to the cat, a look of wonder on her face.

Naruko looked down at Tora then back at Hitomi. "You like him? This is Tora. He's lost too, like you."

Hitomi's big blues looked up at Naruko's paler ones. "He wost his mommy?" She asked sadly.

Naruko nodded. "Yes, but I'm taking him back to her now, just like I'll take you to your mommy. Do you want to pet him?" She asked tentatively. She wasn't sure how the cat would react to that, and from the scratches on her team mates' faces Tora wasn't fond of people touching him without an offering of catnip first. She tensed, ready to snap back if the cat made to swipe at the girl.

Thankfully Tora seemed to like the little girl and allowed her to pet him. The child giggled as he licked her hand, his rough tongue tickling her palm.

"He likes you." Naruko said kindly. Her gaze softened as she watched the girl's enraptured face fill up with glee as she petted the animal. It was a heart warming picture.

"'Lo, Towa." Hitomi said as she ran her hand over Tora's silky fur.

Naruko tilted her head so she could see Hitomi's face. "Hitomi, your mommy's probably really worried about you, so we should go find her. I'll carry you there, okay? You can hold Tora while we walk if you want?"

The girl's head snapped up so fast Naruko feared she gave herself whiplash. "I can?" She squealed in delight, her entire face lighting up.

Naruko nodded. "Yes, but you have to be very careful, and not hurt him, okay?"

Her head bobbed up and down quickly, and Naruko scooped her up, cradling her in the crook of her arm like a babe. She passed Tora into the girl's arms and the cat curled against her belly, licking the girl's face, sending her into a fresh round of merry giggles.

She carried the girl and the cat back to the end of the alley where her team was waiting for her. Gai was smiling broadly, practically glowing with pride. Lee was beaming as well, tears glittering in his eyes. Whether they were a result of the tender scene or something to do with how Youthful Naruko was being she didn't know. Neji just stood with his arms crossed, looking impatient.

"About time." The Hyuuga said as she reached them. "Seriously, you should have just grabbed the damn child instead of- what?" He asked when she glared at him sharply.

"Don't cuss in front of her." Naruko told him.

Neji blinked, taken aback. _What did she just say?_ "Oh, you cannot be serious!" He said incredulously when he realised she wasn't kidding.

"Try me." She said icily.

"Now now, don't fight. Naruko did everything right. If she just grabbed the her, the child would have been terrified. Now, what's say we take this little one back to her mother, eh?" He asked, directing the question towards the small child in Naruko's arms with a big smile.

Hitomi just stared at the man with wide, amazed eyes. His eyebrows were so big! They were like hairy caterpillars!

"Uh, can we hurry and get her to the Tower." Naruko asked uncomfortably. She'd never held a child before and was terrified that she'd drop her. The fact that Hitomi was resting her head comfortably against her breast also scared her. She wasn't used to tender human contact. Hell, this was the first time she'd ever experienced it in her life! The only human contact she was used to these days was getting her ass handed to her in spars, and she hardly thought those counted.

Gai nodded in understanding and led them towards the Tower. Neji was right behind him and Lee walked alongside Naruko, watching the little girl playing with the cat in her arms. Naruko, too, contented herself with watching them play. She listened as Hitomi regaled Tora with a story about a another cat, using wide gestures to articulate her descriptions and butchering her grammar to such an extent that it would have reduced any self-respecting linguist to tears.

They were walking along the main street and they could see the Hokage Tower looming ahead of them when Naruko felt Hitomi tense in her arms and huddle closer to her breast. She looked down at her in concern. "Hitomi? Everything okay?"

The girl huddled closer. "He's scawing me." She whispered fearfully, staring at something up ahead.

Confused, Naruko looked up to see what was causing the girl such distress. She saw it almost immediately. A man, middle-aged, was glaring at her and whispering furiously to his friend. She knew what it was. He was one of her many detractors. He wasn't the only one who noticed just who the girl that was carrying the small child was, but those that did were either just frowning or watching thoughtfully, not glaring like he was doing now. She didn't care one way or the other if people glared at her, but he was scarring Hitomi and that wasn't going to stand. Catching his eye, Naruko pinned him with her most glacial glare and watched as he floundered nervously and turned away.

"It's okay, the bad man's gone now." She told the girl in her arms softly. Hitomi peeked up from where she'd hidden her face in Tora's fur, and when she saw that he was indeed gone she relaxed. Tora must have sensed her fear because her started licking her face again, causing the girl to shriek with laughter. The sound drew even more of the crowd's attention, and more people took notice of 'the Uzumaki girl' holding the laughing toddler. Some more frowned at her, but a few smiled at the scene. Naruko didn't notice much. She just kept her head low and quickened her pace, eager to get away from the scrutiny.

Thankfully, they reached the Tower in next to no time and after Gai explained the situation to the secretary, they were allowed in to see the Sandaime very quickly.

"Gai? What is it?" The old leader asked as he looked up from his paperwork. He was very confused when Naruko walked in, carrying a small toddler who was busy playing with an unusually playful Tora the cat. "I'm guessing there's a story to this little scene?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair, paperwork forgotten for the moment.

Gai explained it all, from Naruko capturing Tora using the catnip to her finding Hitomi crying in the alley. When he was done Sarutobi turned to the redhead, a grin on his face. "Very good, Naruko. Who knows what may have happened if you didn't find her when you did. You seem to have struck up a rapport with the little one, she seems quite taken with you."

Naruko shuffled her feet, embarrassed.

Sarutobi turned to his secretary, who stood beside the open door. "Miko-san, could you go downstairs and see if there's a distraught mother missing her daughter? If she's not there call the Military Police and see if anyone reported a missing child. Also, if you see Madam Shijimi, send her in. We've found Tora."

The woman bowed and left, closing the door behind her.

"Take a seat, it may be a while." Sarutobi offered. They did so, with Gai and Neji sitting in the seats in front of the Hokage's desk, and her and Lee taking the small sofa. For a while the only sounds in the office where of Sarutobi and Gai speaking, and Hitomi's giggles as she played with Tora.

Suddenly the door burst open and a woman rushed in, her face lined with worry. The secretary entered at a far more sedate pace, escorting a second, rounder lady. The first woman scanned the office frantically until her eyes settled on the little girl in Naruko's arms. "Hitomi!"

Said little girl's head snapped up at that voice and her entire face lit up with joy. "Mommy!"

Naruko rose, smoothly extracting Tora from the girl's grasp just before she practically lunged from the Genin's arms and into those of her mother. The woman held the toddler to her tightly, her eyes closed and her body sagging with relief. It was obvious she'd been distraught at loosing her child.

"Oh, Hitomi!" The woman breathed. "You know you're not supposed to wander off like that! You had me worried sick!"

"I'm sowy! I wus pwaying wiff tha' buttahfly an' I lost you an' I couldn' find you an' I met Nawuko an' Towa an' they brung me here! I didn' mean it!" Hitomi blabbered as she hugged her mother with all her strength.

"It doesn't matter now. All I care about is that you're safe." The mother said as she kissed Hitomi's head.

"That's just precious." The second woman cooed fondly. She was shorter and far rounder than the first, and she had a very kind face. She smiled at Naruko as she stepped forward. "I suppose I have you to thank for finding my little Tora?"

"Hmm?" Naruko asked, tearing her eyes away from the mother and child. It was only then that she realised she'd been watching the reunion with a pang of deep longing. Then she realised what the woman was asking her. "Oh, uh, my team found and cornered him, but I was the one that did the actual capturing, if that's what you're asking."

The woman smiled kindly at the girl. "Thank you, dear. Tora just gets a little too adventurous for his own good sometimes, I don't know what to do. You are in very big trouble, young man!" She said sternly to the cat. Tora just looked at her and cocked his head to the side innocently. Her stern façade melted and the woman just shook her head exasperatedly. "Come on, you."

She lifted the animal out of Naruko's arms and held him tenderly in her own. Tora mewled and rubbed against his owner lovingly.

"Wait." Naruko said as she remembered something. She reached into one of her pouches and withdrew the bag of catnip. She handed it to the woman with the explanation, "I used this to lure him out. You'll probably get more use out of it than I will at this point."

The woman smiled and took the bag. "Thank you, dear. You're a kind soul."

Naruko just shrugged. "No problem." She looked at the cat in her arms and scratched him behind the ear. "Later, Tora."

"Oh! Would you look at that?" The woman said in surprise as Tora rubbed against Naruko's hand and licked her fingers. "Tora's never like that with strangers. You must have made a very good impression on him. Tora has high standards that are not easily met. If he likes you then that means you're a good person. Well come on you, let's go home." The woman cooed to the cat as she turned towards the door.

Hitomi must have saw the woman leaving with the cat because she pulled away from her mother and called after them, "Bye bye, Towa!"

Her mother smiled lovingly at her then looked up at the girl who had found her. "Thank you, for finding my daughter." She smiled gratefully at the redhead.

"It was nothing, ma'am." Naruko murmured shyly, shifting uncomfortably.

"No, it was. Hitomi's my whole world. I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to her." The woman looked down sadly at her daughter as the full scale of the danger Hitomi had been in washed over her. She shook her head to clear it of the terrifying thoughts and sighed. "Say goodbye, Hitomi. We should be getting home, your father will be worried."

The toddler nodded and suddenly lurched forward. Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Naruko was unprepared for the tiny pair of arms that wrapped around her neck, squeezing them tightly in a hug. "Bye, Nawuko." Hitomi pressed a sloppy wet kiss to the girl's cheek and pulled back, leaning against her mother. The woman bowed and took her leave with her child, leaving behind one shell-shocked Genin.

Naruko raised a hand to her still wet cheek, a look of complete and utter shock on her face. _'What just happened?'_

Sarutobi chuckled once the woman left and looked at the young kunoichi. "It seems you've made quite an impression, Naruko. I'd say that your first mission proved to be a resounding success. I'll have the money transferred to your accounts, all of you. I'll even provide you a small bonus for finding little Hitomi and returning her to her mother, Naruko."

The young woman bowed her head and scuffed the floor with the toe of her boot. "Just doing my job, sir." She muttered.

Sarutobi chuckled at her bashfulness and waved them away. "Go, take the rest of the day off. You've earned it after all this excitement. Good work, everyone."

Team Gai bowed respectfully and left the man to his work. They turned and headed down the corridor, towards the stairs. As they walked Gai turned to Naruko, who walked at his side. "I'll say it again, Naruko, I'm very proud of your work today. You accomplished your mission spectacularly and reunited a mother and her lost child. Few ninja can say that about their first mission. You should be proud of yourself!"

"Thank you, Gai-sensei." Naruko said meekly. All this praising and complimenting was making her feel embarrassed. Then she remembered something and she turned on the Jounin, a look of great annoyance on her face. "But where were you back there when I needed you?"

The man blinked, taken aback. "I'm not sure what you mean." He really wasn't.

Naruko folded her arms and glared at him. "Leaving me to deal with the kid on my own. I've never dealt with a child before. What if I messed up?"

Gai smiled that maddening smile at her. "But you didn't. You did everything right, and did it wonderfully. You're a natural with children, Naruko."

The girl scoffed and turned away from him. "That doesn't explain why you didn't offer any advice when I asked for it."

Gai smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well… the truth is I have no idea how to handle very young children. I was hoping your maternal instincts would help you. I'd have been hopeless in that situation."

Naruko rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in disgust. "Ugh, men!"

* * *

**A/N: Shorter than usual, I know. I'm not sure how satisfied I am with this chapter. I may come back at a later date and touch it up a bit, add more dialog or something. I'll let you know if I do.**

**The scene with Hitomi was based upon a oneshot of a Mass Effect story by the very talented Elizabeth Carter (That's her Pen Name). She writes a very long, very realistic Mass Effect story called Rising From the Ashes, as well as a number of oneshots. The story is in my favourites, go try it. I seriously believe it to be one of the **_**best**_** stories on this site. Words cannot express my love of her writing. I highly suggest to every reader out there to read this woman's work, she is a genius!**

**The name Hitomi I got from another one of my favourites, Medicinal Lullaby. If you like a Daddy!Naruko story, are a fan of NaruSaku, or simply want a good story to read then go try this one out, it's really good.**

**P.S. I'm not Neji-bashing, he's just not nice right now.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Misashi owns Naruto, not me.

**CHAPTER 5**

"A few more! Come on, you're almost there!"

Naruko grit her teeth and tried valiantly not to topple over, for she was pretty sure that if she did it would either mean her death or at the very least a few broken bones.

Her arms shook slightly as they held up her weight. Sweat was pouring down_ - or rather, up_ - her face, and she was beginning to feel woozy from all the blood rushing to her head. In the middle of the training field, she managed another push-up, if only barely. Usually, a few hundred push-ups wouldn't be a problem. Hell, she and push-ups had become firm friends in the time since she'd joined Team Gai. The problem with these push-ups, however, was that she was being forced to do them while in a handstand, and balanced on top of her feet was a large boulder, almost as tall as she, and more than twice as heavy.

In the back of her mind, she weakly thought that too many of Maito Gai's training methods involved her handling large boulders.

"Come on, Naruko! Just three more and you're done!"

Blowing out a chocked breath of air, and gulping one down just as quickly, Naruko slowly flexed her arms at the elbow. She grit her teeth almost to breaking point and gave a long growl of exertion. The closer her head got to the ground, the more the boulder's weight seemed to bear down on her.

Finally, she managed to flex low enough so that her head hovered a few centimetres above the grass. She puffed out a relieved breath, and regretted it almost instantly as the momentary lapse in concentration caused her to wobble slightly, the boulder above her shuddering precariously with the movement.

"Steady, Naruko. You're almost there. Just two more and you're done."

Her eyes clenched tightly, she dredged up the quickly diminishing stores of energy she had left and pushed. Slowly, painfully, her arms straightened until she had returned to the position she had started from.

'_Two more.__'_ Naruko thought, her mental voice rushed and pitiful as fatigue and exhaustion clawed at her, threatening to bring her down. _'Just two more. Come on! Come on! Two more and that's it! Damn it, do the damn push-ups!'_

Her face a bright, angry red, Naruko groaned aloud in pain as she slowly lowered herself into another. Her arms felt like they were being dipped in molten fire, and she thought that her legs might snap and give way any second from the way they ached. It was a deep, bone-ache, the kind you got when your body was trying to tell you to stop doing whatever stupid thing you were doing before you crippled yourself.

Unfortunately, Naruko was too far gone to listen. Even if she wasn't, she'd probably have ignored it. A side-effect of spending far too much time with Gai and Lee she imagined.

"That's it, you're on the last one! Just this final push-up then you can rest! Come on, Naruko!"

Tears of pain, anger and frustration leaked from Naruko's still closed eyes. She didn't care. She wasn't aware of much right now. All she knew was burning pain, crushing weight, a cold sense of hysteria, and a slight feeling of vertigo.

But there was also burning desire not to fail. She'd come this far and she'd be damned if she'd fall now.

Hauling up every single iota of energy she had left, Naruko felt a final, fleeting pulse of strength flow through her. Not passing up this last chance, Naruko screamed out loud as she flexed so low her forehead touched the cool grass, and pushed back up with what felt like Herculean effort.

Immediately, the weight of the boulder vanished, and Naruko crumpled to the floor with a relieved cry. She landed in a mangled pile, her arms drawn close to her. Her breath came out in shaky, wheezy pants. Everything hurt. She wasn't aware of anything else. Even on her back with no boulder above her, Naruko's body burned. She couldn't move. She tried, despite the fact such motions sent fresh waves on pain through her, but nothing happened. A fleeting sense of panic ghosted though her. Was she crippled? Did she push herself too far? Before her panic could escalate into a full blown anxiety attack, Gai was there.

He gently rolled her onto her back, ignoring her pained yelp, and cradled her to him, offering an open canteen to her.

Naruko's eyes were still closed, but she sensed that water was near and she opened her mouth. It was the only movement so far that didn't make her feel like someone had dropped her into a giant blender. She drank greedily from the canteen, draining it dry. She almost drained the second canteen as well before her thirst was sated.

"Thanks, sensei." The redhead croaked. Her body was limp. She allowed her head to drop back against her teacher's arm.

"That was amazing, Naruko." Gai voice was warm and gentle, but filled with great pride. Gentler than you'd expect from a man of Gai's bombastic attitude and character, he lifted her from the ground and carried her towards the shade of the trees. Lee and Neji were off on the far side of the field. Lee was practicing his Goken forms, and Neji was rapidly working on a punch post, his hands a blur as he hit each of the many jutting stumps in rapid succession.

Gai tenderly placed the young kunoichi against the trunk of a tree. The girl hardly made a sound as she was handled. Gai rested her head against the slope of the bark and knelt in front of her. He had to smile at the look of relaxation on her face, despite the exhaustion that was mixed in with it. Even during her workouts Naruko doggedly retained her icy, serious expression. He'd never once seen her crack a smile or, heaven forbid, laugh. Even Neji, who prided himself on his Hyuuga impassiveness, couldn't hold a candle to Naruko when it came to hiding his emotions. He'd seen the boy smirk many times, and seen him scowl even more. But Naruko was a blank. Her thoughts and feelings were her own and Gai seriously thought that not even a session with the infamous Morino Ebiki would get her to divulge them unless she wanted to.

But now, when she was simply too tired to worry about keeping up her impassive façade, she would let a little of her true self show through. At times like these it pained Gai to realise just how old beyond her years Naruko really was. When she rested, stress and tension seemed to drain from her, taking years from her appearance. It was like looking at a completely different girl. At times like this she became innocent, almost child like. It was truly a sad thing that she didn't look like that all the time. Like she was supposed to.

Gai sat against an opposite tree and watched the distant forms of his other two students train. "I mean it, Naruko. You were amazing back there. You did everything I asked and you did it spectacularly. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks, sensei." Naruko said again. Her voice, like the rest of her, was bone weary. "Took a while though."

"That doesn't matter." Gai said seriously. "The fact is that you stuck with it and didn't let yourself give up. What's more is that you never once complained or doubted yourself. Not many people can say that for themselves."

"Hmm." Naruko lolled against the tree. Gai's voice was only a soothing murmur in the distance by this point.

Gai saw that his pupil was quickly leaving him and chuckled slightly. "Sleep, Naruko. We've got about half an hour left and you've earned a rest. I'll wake you before we leave."

"Hmm…" Was Naruko's only reply.

* * *

"She won't last." Neji said as he continued to whack away at the wooden training dummy before him. He never broke his rhythm or took his eyes off the post before him as he spoke. "They never do."

"Neji, my friend, you shouldn't say such things." Lee admonished as he flowed through the motions Gai had instilled in him. He never glanced in his team mate's direction, instead focusing ahead of himself. "You almost make it sound like you_ want_ her to fail."

"I'd be lying if I said a part of me doesn't." The Hyuuga grunted as he continued to strike in rhythm. "She shouldn't be a ninja. She's a civilian. The sooner she realises that, the better."

"Not anymore. The Hokage gave her the rank, she trains hard, harder than most. Harder than you."

"She's better than the others we've had in that respect, I'll grant her that. They were all useless wasters in the truest sense of the word. She at least tries to improve herself. But it will all be for nothing in the end. No, pretty soon she'll fail. Just like the rest of them."

"You don't know that." Lee said.

"I do. She's still a civilian, no matter how much training she does or how far she pushes herself. She'll never be a ninja. That's not her fate." Neji's tone was final.

Lee paused in his own exercises. He breathed deeply, closing his eyes. A slight breeze ruffled his inky black hair. "Maybe she's different?" He offered quietly. "Maybe she makes her own fate?"

_Crunch!_

The top of the post was obliterated in a pulse of chakra. Neji calmly extracted his hand from the splinters and turned away, heading towards his pack for some water. He didn't even look back as he said, "No one makes their own fate, Lee. No me, not you, and not her. That's simply the way life is."

Lee watched his team mate go. He blinked once then settled back into his stance as he prepared to go through the motions again. As he worked, his eyes drifted over to where the shadowed form of their female team mate lounged in the shade of the trees.

'_You're __wrong__, my rival. We're not slaves to fate. Her very presence here shows that. The sooner _you _realise that, the better.'_

* * *

Once Naruko was roused from her doze an hour later, Gai had his students sit before him. This was usually the time where they'd call it a day and head home but obviously the Jounin had something important to say.

Gai had his arms folded across his broad chest as he stared down at the Genin. He had his usual confident grin in place. "My students, I have held you back because I have something very exciting to tell you. The Hokage and I have decided that it is time to get a better sense of how we've adjusting to life as a unit in the four months since Naruko has joined us. To that end, we have been assigned our first C-rank mission!"

He produced a scroll from his vest and held it before him proudly. True to his word, the scroll was tagged _C-rank_.

Lee's eyes became even wider than usual, and he clenched his fists excitedly. "Yosh! This will be a great chance to test our skill!"

Neji raised one delicate eyebrow and looked away. "About time." He muttered.

Naruko just sat and listened silently.

Gai tucked the scroll back into his vest. "Our mission is to go to the nearby town of Otafuku Gai. There is a gang there that goes by the name of the Hatchet Boyz, run by a man; Shinobu Daichi, age twenty-four. According to the information our client gave us, Daichi was visiting the town where the client lives. Daichi was apparently out drinking one night when he got a little too un-Youthful and began to make rather aggressive advances on a young lady. When she made it clear numerous times that she wasn't interested Daichi became angry. He dragged her from the club and into an alley where he beat her quite badly, but was fortunately forced to flee before he could do anything else. That girl was our client's daughter."

"So we're to what?" Neji asked. "Kill Shinobu?"

Naruko looked a little green at the prospect.

Gai shook his head. "No. The client want's us to find Daichi and bring him to him alive. Apparently he 'want's to have a word with him'. I think we all know what that discussion entails."

The Jounin slid the mission scroll into his vest pocket as he continued, "Our client is well connected and quite wealthy, so Daichi must know that he won't take an attack on his only daughter lightly. He'll most likely be in hiding, so it'll be hard to find him. We'll meet at the gates tomorrow at nine o'clock sharp. If we keep a moderate pace we should arrive in Otafuku Gai by nightfall, then we WILL SHOW THAT UN-YOUTHFUL VILLIAN THE TRUE POWER OF BEAUTIFUL JUSTICE!"

Lee stared up at him with eyes overflowing with admiration. Neji and Naruko stared at him oddly, each thinking, _'Beautiful justice?'_

"As a final note, I want you each to pack as many civilian clothes as you have ninja clothes. You'll know the reason later on. That's all for now. Go home, rest, and be prepared for tomorrow."

The Genin got to their feet, grabbed their gear and prepared to leave. As she slid on her equipment harness, Naruko remembered something and called out to Gai who was just about to leave.

"Sensei, are we still going to have the pre-training training session before we leave?" She still couldn't believe she'd adopted the term into her vocabulary. She'd never even checked to see if it was a real thing.

Gai smiled at his student's question. "Sorry, Naruko, but we don't have them on the day of a mission out of the village. We need to save our energy for whatever we encounter. We'll still have them when we come back, though."

Naruko nodded and took her leave. As she followed the dirt path back towards the village, she couldn't help but wonder why she felt so disappointed.

* * *

Damn him. Damn him, damn his training methods, and while she was at it, damn his precious spandex. These were the thoughts that ran through Naruko's mind as she lay awake in her bed the next morning.

Sighing in annoyance, she rolled over and checked the time on her trusty battered watch. The small, luminous face glowed in the dark, the smallblack numbers reading _07:02 am_. It had been exactly five minutes since she last checked.

She groaned into her pillow and dropped the watch back onto the floor beside her bed. She had no bedside table to put it on. In her head she cursed her sensei again. It was all his fault, she was sure of it.

She'd awoken that morning at five thirty, as had become her usual wake up time since she became a ninja. She'd been up, out of bed and ready to shower before she remembered that there was no training to go to that morning. So, with lack of anything else to do, she climbed back into bed and tried to get a few more hours sleep.

But sleep wouldn't come. She'd tossed and turned in her bed for a full two and a half hours now and still she couldn't fall back to sleep. No matter what she did, she stayed firmly awake. What made it worse was that time seemed to slow to a snail's pace as she waited for the scheduled meeting time. What felt like hours was actually minutes.

She was going crazy, and it was all Gai's fault.

Realising that there was no more sleep to be had this morning, Naruko tossed aside her covers and decided to do something productive with her overabundant free time. Since she had joined Gai's team, a morning workout had become part of her daily routine.

Sort of a pre- pre-training training session, if you will.

So before she did anything else, she took care of that. A thousand one-armed push-ups and a thousand sit-ups took a full hour from her time. She would have used the frame of her door for pull-ups, but in a hand built structure like the Shack that probably wasn't the best idea. The architect hadn't exactly used high quality materials in the construction after all.

After a quick shower to scrub of the accumulated sweat, and a similarly quick breakfast, Naruko set about grabbing her gear. She'd packed it the night before, ready to go. Once that was taken care of she checked the time. Thirty minutes until the scheduled meeting time. Perfect. That gave her time to take care of one last issue.

"That ought to do it." Naruko said to herself as she stood, dusting off her hands as she inspected her handiwork. She nodded approvingly. Only with a knowing eye could she spot the meticulously laid traps that had been rigged all up the staircase leading up to the Shack. There were similar ones on the top of the building and in and around the Shack as well. Since this would be the first time she'd be away from the Shack for more than a few hours she thought it prudent to safeguard her investment, so to speak. Or to put it in laymen's terms: 'Keep thieving rats from making off with her stuff'. It wasn't anything bad. The traps around the stairs were more of warnings designed to ward off casual explorers. The traps on the rooftop were a bit more potent, made for scaring away the annoyingly persistent. The traps in and around the Shack itself, however, were just plain brutal.

Hey, if you trigger the traps on the stairs, you're lost. If you trigger the traps on the rooftop, you're nosy. If you trigger the traps in the Shack, you're nosy _and_ you obviously can't take a hint. Fair is fair, as they say.

Assured in her home's security, Naruko made her way to the village gates.

* * *

As expected, Lee and Gai were already there by the time she arrived.

"Good morning, Naruko! Are you excited about our mission?" Lee's loud, chipper voice echoed across the empty patch of ground around the gate, as well as the streets beyond. A few early risers and those heading for work turned their heads towards the source of the noise, wondering who could possibly be that loud and excited at this time of the day.

Naruko chose not to follow her team mate's example and waited until she was within speaking distance before she replied. "Good morning, Lee. I suppose I am kind of excited."

He gave her one of his big grins, an perfect replica of their sensei's, like most other things of Lee's. "I'm sure it will be most exciting! Hopefully these un-Youthful gangsters will provide a nice challenge."

Gai laughed loudly and clapped a hand to the boy's shoulder. "Lee, these gangsters are vagabonds and ruffians. They cannot stand up to fully trained ninja, especially not ones as Youthful as us. We may not even need to face many, if any, gangsters. I wouldn't hold out any hope of a challenging fight."

Lee's expression feel and his shoulders hunched forward sullenly. "Oh." Then his face brightened. "If I cannot find a challenging opponent then I will strive to be the one to capture this Shinobu Daiki! If I can't do that then I will strive to carry a five foot tree from Otafuku Gai to Konoha instead!"

Gai gave him a proud thumbs up. "That's the spirit, Lee! If you can't do that then I will carry a ten foot tree back with me!"

"Yosh, and if Gai-sensei can't do that then I will carry a fifteen foot tree instead!"

Naruko watched as they were overcome with tears and gazed at each other emotionally. She silently wondered whether she should give them some privacy.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Naruko's jaw hit the ground and her eyes went wide when the two couldn't take it any more and leapt into each other's arms in a tight embrace, bawling their eyes out. Her little-used imagination took this opportunity to dust itself off and take flight. In her mind's eye she saw the two green clad males standing on some beach somewhere, an evening sun low in the sky as waves crashed against the breakers, throwing up a curtain of spray around them that glimmered in the dying sun, like a scene from some cheesy romantic movie. Her head tilted to the side, jaw still agape. It was a very strange and disturbing vision, to be sure.

She didn't know how long she stared at the two, but she was eventually brought back to earth when she heard the sound of a throat being cleared beside her, startling her slightly. Shaking her head to clear it of the hallucination, she turned to see an exasperated Neji standing beside her, watching their team mate and sensei embrace with clear distaste.

"They got overemotional again, didn't they?" He asked, a noticeable lack of surprise in his voice.

Still feeling the after effects from the small trance she had been in, Naruko could only nod.

Neji shook his head and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Looking at the still-sobbing pair, he loudly said, "Gai-sensei, we're ready to leave."

They apparently didn't hear him over the sounds of their own cries. Mortified, Naruko noticed a crowd was beginning to gather, each of the people gawking and sniggering at the strange ninja.

Neji tried again. "Gai-sensei? The mission?"

Nothing. Still Lee and Gai wailed and the crowd continued to grow as more and more people came to watch.

Neji closed his eyes and grit his teeth in aggravation. Why did these two always do this? Why did they always hug and cry? Men should not hug or cry. Men should be manly, and it was most definitely _not _manly to hug or cry. Especially with another man!

He twitched as a particularly loud, grating sob rang in his ears. This needed to end. Taking a lungful of air the normally stoic Hyuuga practically screamed, "Gai-sensei, we need to leave _now!_"

The sobbing abruptly cut off and Gai looked up from the impromptu man-hug to see a slightly red faced Neji glaring at them, an uncomfortable Naruko fiddling with the knife strapped to her chest, and a large crowd of onlookers watching them with varying faces of disbelief, mortification, unease, and, predominantly, humour. He blinked and smiled sheepishly as he realised he and Lee got a bit carried away again.

They released each other and gave a weak chuckle. Gai waved the crowd off and they dispersed, many planning on telling their friends about the wacky ninja and others planning to erase the image from their minds with a good drink or two.

Gai turned to Neji and Naruko, still chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry, we got caught up in the Youth of the moment." In a flash, his blinding grin reappeared on his face as if in never left. "Yosh! Now that we're all here, we can leave! I want us to get to the town before nightfall, so we're going to be keeping a quick pace!"

He turned towards the gate and chopped his hand through the air, pointing it towards the road ahead. "YOUTH DASH!"

The two Green Beasts vanished in two green blurs, kicking up a huge trail of dust behind them as they disappeared towards the horizon. Naruko shook her head exasperatedly and followed after, matching their pace easily enough. Neji cursed and hurried to catch up with them, muttering about 'moronic team mates and their damnable speed.'.

* * *

Gai got his wish and they managed to reach Otafuku Gai late in the afternoon. He called them to a stop at the edge of a forest just a ways off from the city, and had them gather round.

He looked at each of his students in turn. "Okay, so our mission is to capture the leader of the Hatchet Boyz, Shinobu Daichi. He's most likely expecting the father of the girl he assaulted to seek retribution, and he knows that the client has more than enough money to hire ninja so he's going to be on the lookout. We're going to go incognito for this, so that means we hide all our ninja gear until we're ready to make a move. We'll change here so that we don't risk anyone seeing us."

For discretion's sake Naruko changed behind a large boulder away from the guys, close enough to call for help if the need arose, but too far for anyone to get an accidental peek.

A little self-conscious about doing this outdoors, she stripped out of her green fatigues and pulled on a well worn pair of black jeans, a thin white t-shirt and a short black jacket. She was startled, and slightly bemused, to realise that this was in fact the exact same set of clothes she was wearing the day the Third Hokage found her and offered her a job.

When she finally got the all clear from her sensei, she emerged from behind the boulder. She saw that Neji had changed out of his gear, and was now wearing a black silk shirt and a part of grey slacks. A black bandana had been tied around his head, hiding the forehead that he seemed so reluctant to show for some strange reason. A pair of tinted sunglasses hid his unique all-seeing eyes from view.

It was extremely odd, bordering on the surreal, to see Lee and Gai out of their trademark jumpsuits and in more modern clothing. Gone were the spandex bodysuits, and in their place the two now sported matching t-shirts and sweatpants. They were still Lee and Gai, however, and therefore it was only natural that their new clothes were the exact same shade of green as their beloved ninja uniforms.

Gai looked over his students' new attire and nodded approvingly. "Remember, if anyone asks you are martial arts students from Tanzaku Gai here to visit the local dojo, and I am your sensei."

Naruko shook her head slightly in exasperation. Even Gai's cover stories had something to do with taijutsu.

As they followed their eccentric sensei through the streets of Otafuku Gai it was easy to see that the city was first and foremost a party town. Music blared from all angles and neon lights flashed and pulsed at a blinding pace. Drunken revellers staggered up and down the packed streets, shouting and cavorting merrily as they grabbed hold of each other just to stay upright.

The group eventually wound up at a small, but nice, hotel on the north side of the village where Gai had called ahead and booked rooms. The woman at the front desk got them checked in quick enough, and after a quick meal they called it a night.

* * *

In their hotel room the male Genin of Team Gai got ready for bed. Naruko was in the bathroom getting changed, leaving the boys to talk.

"It'll happen soon." Neji said as he pulled off his shirt. Setting it aside, he sat on the edge of his bed and began undoing his belt.

"Hm?" Lee looked over at him from where he lay on his own bed. He had already changed into his green t-shirt and shorts. "What will happen soon?"

"The crux. The conclusion of _her_ time with us. It'll all come to a head during this mission. She'll fail, like all the others; she'll quit, and we'll be back to square one with yet another useless reject." He folded his pants neatly and placed them in his pack alongside the shirt, then slid into his black sleep shirt and pants.

Lee shook his head at his rival and returned his gaze to the ceiling. "I doubt it. Naruko is a strong girl. You should give her more credit. If you'd gotten to know her over the time she's been with us you would know she's different from the rest. I'm not one to speak ill of others, but the previous team mates we've had have been vapid, undedicated, giggly, and, as much as I hate to say it, didn't have the spirit necessary to be ninja. Naruko's different. She's not vapid. She's most definitely dedicated to her training. She's in no way, shape or form giggly. And as for her spirit…" He shook his head, a note of wonder entering his voice. "I really believe that she was _born_ to be a ninja. What was it that Iruka-sensei said about people like that? _'They were born wearing a hitai-ate.'_."

"No." Neji said. He climbed onto his own bed and leaned back against the headboard. "If that were true she would have been enrolled into the academy with the rest of us. She would have excelled in her classes, passed the tests, possibly even graduated as the Rookie of the Year. She did not, therefore she was never meant to be a ninja. It was her fate to be a civilian. Trying to fight it will only end in tragedy for her."

"You're concern for me is touching, Neji-san." The two boys looked up to see Naruko leaving the bathroom, her clothes tucked under her arm. She had changed into a pair of baggy grey sweats and a large white t-shirt. Both garments had obviously seen better days and were old and threadbare.

"Hardly." Neji said dryly as she set her clothes at the bottom of her bed. "I'm just saying that the sooner you accept your fate the better."

Naruko seemed unconcerned as she pulled back the covers and slipped under them. It occurred to her that she should have been more uncomfortable sleeping in a room with two boys, but she wasn't. In the orphanage she slept in a dorm room with five other children of both genders, and after you've slept rough in alleys or dumpsters you just stop caring. To Neji's statement she merely replied, "If I did that I'd have been dead years ago. I'm a survivor. I don't believe in fate, I believe in chances and how to use them. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to get some sleep for tomorrow. Goodnight, Neji-san, Lee." She rolled onto her side, her back to them.

Neji frowned at the girl. "How could you _not_ bel-"

"_Goodnight_, Neji-san."

Lee had to snort a laugh at the look on his team mate's face. Hyuuga Neji was not a boy used to being snubbed, especially by those he deemed 'beneath' him. With a smile he shook his head and climbed under his covers, turning off his lamp as he did so. "Goodnight, Naruko. Goodnight, Neji."

Neji didn't say anything. His cold, pupil-less eyes stared at Naruko's back. Only the slightest tightening of the skin around those pale orbs belied the anger he was feeling. How dare she? How _dare_ this insignificant, pitiful, little _civilian_ snub him? How _dare_ she say she doesn't believe in fate? It was what governed all life. It was what made them who they were. The strong were strong, and the weak were weak. This was the way of the world, there was no fighting it, no matter how hard you tried.

'_No__.'_ He thought as he turned his own lamp off. Sliding under the covers of his bed, he continued to glare a hole in Naruko's back. _'You can't fight it, Uzumaki. You were never meant to be a ninja, it wasn't your fate. You'll fall sooner or later. I promise it.'_

* * *

Hibiki slammed the beer bottle on the table after draining it. He sighed as he felt that hot, familiar burn make its way down his throat. Leaning back into the worn, torn leather of the booth, he let his half lidded eyes sweep over the packed bar, taking in all the old familiar faces in the dim light. His hand drummed on the table in time with the pounding of beat pounding from the jukebox. He'd been running the streets of Otafuku Gai since he could remember, and therefore knew pretty much every lowlife, slum muscle, swindler, trickster, killer and criminal there was to know. From where he sat, nestled in a private booth near the back of the bar, hidden in the shadows and surrounded by some of his fellow bruisers, he could see several key players in the city's underworld.

There was Susumu Tsubaki, a well known dealer who could get you anything for the right price. Over by the window he could see 'Little' Goro, the fattest bastard this side of Fire Country and one of the most psychotic. Over at the bar, sat in what was officially _his_ seat, sat 'Old Man' Masaru, once the leading player in town, now retired and spending his last days as a doting grandfather. He spied a hot blonde with an impressive rack that was practically falling out of her top in the corner by the jukebox, wrapped around the lithe form of Akane, the local dyke. God knows why she preferred girls but damn if it wasn't a kick in the nuts. Akane was a fine looking girl. More than one guy had tried to 'persuade her' to reconsider her preferences, but quickly found that it was not a wise move to make. The girl was known as one of the finest hands with a blade for a reason.

There were dozens more aside. All of them hard. All of them bloodied. All of them masters in the art of violence. Hibiki estimated that if one were to cash in on all the bounties in here tonight they'd be able to start their own town. Nobody was that stupid though. Not even the local police were brave enough to attempt to raid this particular bar. The bloodbath that would ensue would go down as the most violent night in Otafuku Gai's history. Each and every person in here was dangerous, sharp and armed to kill.

Such was the kind of clientele the Old Bull bar attracted.

Hibiki adjusted the black denim vest he wore. It was a little stifling in the bar, but no matter how hot it got he wouldn't take it off. This vest was his badge of office. A sign that though he was young he was one of the higher-ups in the Hatchet Boyz, and, therefore, not to be fucked with. He glanced down at the slightly worn article with pride. He had all his patches, each proclaiming some past task he performed for the gang, a sign of some of the crimes he took place in, and others besides. The men sat around him each had vests of their own, with varying patches, though none as many as he did. These were _his_ men, his gang within the gang.

He snagged another bear from a passing waitress and popped the cork, draining a mouthful. He sat back in the booth, watching the girls on the dance floor writhe, grind and bounce in time to the pounding rock beat blasting from the jukebox. Just the sight of them in their tight t-shirts and short skirts were enough to get his blood pumping. It had been a while since he'd last had a good lay.

He was distracted from his viewing when one of the others at the table dragged him back into the conversation.

"Hey, Hibiki, how's Daiki doing? Haven't seen him since the night he got back."

Hibiki shrugged. "You know him. Daiki's probably shacked up with some girl for the night."

One of them, a older guy with a scar running from his eyebrow to his chin, leaned forward, his elbow nudging his glass and causing it to wobble precariously. "Heard he got into a spot of bother on his trip. Something about some big shot's daughter."

"She was leading him on. Letting him buy her and her friends drinks all night, promising things, and then left him high and dry. It's all over and done with now, though."

"Ain't been out since he came back." Another one pointed out as he took a swig of his drink. "That ain't like him."

"He's got a lot to deal with. Hasn't had time to cut loose."

"Is he worried about that girl's old man?"

Hibiki frowned, setting his drink on the table. "No, why would he be?"

The guy shrugged. "Heard he was some minor lord or something. Thought Daiki might be laying low in case there's a hit on his head."

"You saying he's hiding? Like a coward, you mean?"

The man back peddled. "Naw, I'm just saying-"

"What?" Hibiki asked, cutting him off. "You think he's _afraid _of some old bastard? You think he can't look after himself, is that it?"

"What? No! I'm just saying-"

"Well don't." Hibiki cut him off again. "Daiki can take care of himself. You just mind your own business and stay out of his, alright?"

The others each muttered something intelligible and nodded slightly before going back to their drinks as an uneasy silence descended on the table. Hibiki stared down at his drink, silently cursing himself for ruining the mood. He was about to try to break the tension when one of the others did it for him.

"Whoa!" The guy blurted, perking right back up, his eyes focused on something across the bar.

Hibiki looked at him. "'Whoa' what?"

"Look what just walked in. The one right by the door."

Hibiki and the others looked at each other and shrugged. Rising from their seats slightly to get a better look over the mass of heads, they scanned for what he was talking about.

They found it right away.

It was a girl. She couldn't have been a day over eighteen. She stood on the steps of the door, looking out over the bar like a queen over her kingdom, even if she didn't dress like one. Indeed she didn't for she was dressed casually, if not boyishly. A pair of dark, worn jeans hugged low to her waist, held up only by her belt. A black t-shirt with very short sleeves hugged her curves wonderfully, showing off her ample assets. The t-shirt looked to be a bit small, and as a result bared a band of smooth, toned flesh. Her dark red hair looked almost black in the poor light. A pair of slanted ice blue eyes swept over the dingy bar, taking it all in.

She was a goddess.

"Whoa…" Hibiki breathed.

* * *

It was now the third consecutive night of their search.

When they had started, Gai-sensei, like with almost every other task known to man, had turned their search and capture mission into training. He'd challenged his Genin to search the town in any way they deemed necessary. They had a time limit of four days and if they couldn't find any couldn't find Shinobu Daiki by then, he would step in and assist them.

They had each broken off to search the places they thought might lead them to Daiki.

Neji had gone for the wealthier homes to the west of town. He had taken to ghosting across the rooftops each night, scanning each with his Byakugan to see if Daiki was hiding inside. His reasoning was that a man of Daiki's power would choose to flaunt his wealth in the most obvious manner possible. If that didn't work, the Hyuuga teen planned to move onto the middle-class homes, and so forth.

Lee had taken for the famous clubs. He would go to each club and keep his eyes peeled for the man, and his ears sharp for any gossip that might tell them where he was hiding. Since Daiki was a young and powerful man, the young Green Beast assumed he'd be living life to the full.

Naruko knew better.

Shinobu Daiki was scum, pure and simple. And when you wanted to find scum, you asked other scum.

It was that thinking that led to her current whereabouts. Walking through the lower-class parts of Otafuku Gai, between the crumbling houses, dark alleys, burnt out buildings, and places of questionable innocence. There was very poor light here, casting long, dark shadows. To someone unused to the dreary atmosphere it would have been intimidating. The key was to act casual, not make eye contact, and keep an expression that said: "I am not to be fucked with. Annoy me at your own risk."

Fortunately, Naruko gave off this kind of vibe every second of every day, so she was not bothered.

She had come here every night since the start of the 'challenge'. She'd visited three of the seediest bars she could find, but had yet to find any leads. Tonight she was trying a different one. A dealer at the last bar, thinking he had a new customer, had told her of the Old Bull bar. Apparently, it was _the_ criminal hideout. Where all the most wanted and most vicious players in town went to drink. She'd been told it was so bad that even the police wouldn't go near it.

Just the place she was looking for.

She spotted it near the end of a dead-end street. All the other businesses around it looked to be shut down, their graffiti covered shutters rusted shut. The Old Bull bar, however, looked to be thriving. The street was crowded with people, thugs, junkies and drunks. The slum folk. She could hear the heavy beat of music pounding from the bar, echoing across the empty streets.

She made her way through the thin crowd, ignoring the lecherous looks she got. She strode right up to the crowded door, forced her way through, and grasped the handle. With a small breath, she twisted it, and stepped inside.

Her immediate thought was, _'I like this place.'_

One of the many practically unknown things about Naruko was that ever since she was a little girl she'd been an honest-to-God, diehard fan of rock music. The Old Bull bar, it seemed, shared that appreciation. Everywhere she looked there was some symbol that played homage to the genre. Skulls, flames, snakes, guitars, mottos, posters, memorabilia, and, of course, pictures of half naked women adorned every available inch of wall space. A violent, face paced guitar solo rumbled from the slightly battered jukebox. There was a writhing mass of people on the dark dance floor, and the air was hazy with cigarette smoke.

She made her way to the bar, taking a recently vacated stool. The barman finished up with one customer before making his way over. He was big and heavyset, and just like his clientele he didn't look like he was a stranger to brutality.

She was suddenly glad she'd thought to slip her knife into her boot before she came out tonight.

"What'd'ya need?" The man asked over the din, his voice as gruff as he was.

"Just a soda." She'd never drank before, and had no intention of starting while surrounded by such 'colourful' people.

The bartended grunted and ambled to fix her order. He never said a word against her being in his bar. Her early development had allowed her to pass as a very young looking eighteen-year-old each time she'd visited a bar these last few nights.

She handed over the money, and sat back against the bar with her drink. She scanned the crowds, looking for anyone who might have a connection with her target. Her boot tapped in-time with the music.

She began to think of where to start. She could see quite a few people who could be in with 'the biggest gangster in Otafuku Gai'. She'd need to be subtle about it. Nobody ever seemed to take well to an overcurious person. She'd probably start with that guy over by the guitar mounted on the wall. Since he'd obviously had a few he'd be easier to question. She'd just go over and-

"A good night for it, eh?"

She glanced at the person who interrupted her thoughts. It was a man, a boy really, probably eighteen or nineteen. There was nothing remarkable about him. Jet black hair, clean shaven, and wearing clothes that weren't new but weren't old either.

She sipped her drink as her eyes returned to the guy by the guitar. "I suppose." She said, disinterestedly.

He leaned against the bar, his elbows supporting his weight. His eyes were on the dance floor. "You know, I've been coming here for years, but I can't seem to recall ever seeing you before."

"Is that so." She wondered if the guy beside the guitar knew where the Hatchet Boyz's main hideout was. She'd have to be careful about asking.

He nodded, apparently not catching the boredom in her voice. "So can I guess that you're not from around here then? Probably an out-of-towner?"

"Tanzaku Gai. I'm a student visiting the dojo." She'd probably have to bribe the guy for information. Better yet she could just wait until he got himself a little more drunk and keep her money.

"A fighting girl then!" The older boy grinned his most winning grin, which wasn't really all that winning. "I like that. You'll fit right in here. This place breeds tons of the toughest girls."

_'So go bother __one __of them.'_

"Really?" She didn't know how this guy wasn't getting the hint. She hadn't even so much as glanced at him since he first spoke. She brought her mind back to the guy across the bar. If he couldn't lead her to the gang's lair then maybe he could point her to someone who could?

The boy must have realised that nothing he had said so far was working, so he tried a different tactic. "I'm sorry, how rude of me, I haven't even asked your name?"

'_If you didn't __want __to be rude you'd give yours first, dullstone.'_

"Naruko." She muttered as she took another swig of her soda.

"Naruko?" He asked charmingly. "What a beautiful name. Mine's Hibiki. Shinobu Hibiki." He inclined his head slightly.

'_Oh, for the love __of-'_

Wait. Did he say Shinobu? As in Shinobu Daiki?

Throwing one leg over the other, she leaned back and looked at the older boy properly for the first time. It was only then that she noticed the black denim vest he wore. It was partially hidden by his arm, but she could just spy a part of a red and white patch sewn onto his front pocket. It was the crossed hatchet symbol of the hatchet gang, a smaller copy of the much larger version sewn on their backs. In fact the vest was their signature. She'd seen it on a few men the past few nights wearing the vests, all members of the gang. She had wanted to approach them and try to fish for information about Daiki, but didn't know how to go about it without getting caught.

This had to be his younger brother, or at least a cousin. A direct link to Daiki. It was a chance, one she fully intended to exploit.

Bringing her soda to her lips, Naruko decided to give him some attention for once. "Hibiki, eh? Then tell me, Hibiki, what do people do for fun around here?"

They talked for hours, about all manner of things, and once she'd given the hint that she wasn't one for authority he really began to open up. He told her nearly everything about the town. Where the best clubs were, who to avoid, who hosted the best parties, told her amusing stories of the Otafuku Gai's underworld population. He even extolled about some of his past exploits with the Hatchet Boyz. Apparently, he and his brother founded the gang when they were kids and gradually began taking over the criminal element in the town until they were the biggest players around.

"We're the kings of this city!" He boasted loudly, his voice slightly slurred by the amount of booze he'd consumed.

Naruko was thankful he didn't try anything too bad. A slight graze of her hand here, a hand on her shoulder there. She in turn told him of her own life as a 'citizen of Tanzaku Gai'. She didn't go too far. She'd said she'd been running the streets all her life, hooked up with a couple of other street urchins like her, and made her living as a pickpocket. She even retold some of the stranger and hilarious things she'd seen while growing up in Konoha, although she'd lied about the name of the hometown. The poor boy seemed smitten with her, so it wasn't hard to get the information she needed.

Eventually the night began to wind down, and as the bar began to empty Hibiki turned to her. He was swaying a bit but otherwise sober.

"Hey, Naruko, how long did you say you'd be in town for again?"

"A week, probably two. Why?" She asked as she slid out of the booth. They'd taken it when the bar began to get crowded. Hibiki'd been paying for her drinks all night, and she'd stuck to soda save for a single beer that she'd eventually been sucked into drinking after much cajoling. Fortunately, beside's a weird taste in her mouth she was completely sober.

Hibiki slipped on his gang vest. "A buddy of mine's holding a party at his place tomorrow night, thought you'd like to come?"

"With you?" She asked with a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Hibiki actually blushed slightly and adjusted his vest. "Yeah, with me." He said bravely.

She'd go, if only to see if she could catch a glimpse of Daiki. At the very least she could gather more information. He'd told her where the party was at and what time to be there. With a promise to see him there, she left the Old Bull bar and headed back to the hotel.

* * *

"Naruko! Where we're you, we've been waiting for hours! What happened? Did you find something? Was there trouble? Was there a fight?"

Gai had pounced on her the second she got back to their room. He, Lee, and Neji had been sitting up, fully awake and fully dressed. It was obvious that they'd been waiting for her. When she'd walked in the door Gai sprang up from the bed, relief practically radiating off his face, and began firing off his rapid series of questions, frantically checking her over for wounds. While the concern was quite touching, she was tired and wanted to tell them what she found out so she could go to bed.

"Gai-sensei, I'm fine." She assured him, grabbing his arm to keep him in one place. "I was at a bar all night then I came right back here. There was no trouble."

Gai sighed with relief. When Naruko hadn't come back with the boys he'd been worried. When she didn't come back after an hour he'd started to pace the floor, looking out the window every few minutes. After several hours rolled by without any sign of her he'd been near frantic. He'd already been planning to go out on a search with Lee and Neji to find her when she'd walked in.

"That's good, Naruko. You gave us quite a scare when you didn't show up. We'd began to fear that something very un-Youthful had happened."

Naruko's expression softened slightly at the looks on Gai and Lee's faces. They'd been honestly scared for her. "I'm fine. Honestly." She said kindly, the corner of her lip tilting up in a small, reassuring smirk.

Gai nodded and took a seat on the edge of Lee's bed. Lee himself sat next to the Jounin while Neji rested his back against the headboard of his bed. He'd appeared quite unconcerned whether anything had happened to her or not. Naruko took her place on her own bed. She slid off her boots, massaging her slightly sore feet.

"I assume you've found something then?" Gai asked, leaning forward. He rested his forearms on his knees as he looked at her.

Naruko dropped back onto the bed. Her hands were behind her head and her feet were crossed at the ankle. "Quite a bit, actually. Did you know that Shinobu Daiki has a little brother?"

Gai blinked at that, and Lee and Neji sat up straighter, clearly interested.

"No I didn't." Gai said, frowning. "It wasn't in the file we received. The client must not have known about Daiki's brother or else he would have told us."

"Daiki runs the Hatchet Boyz, and his little brother Hibiki is one of his chief lieutenants. Apparently they're very close. I ran into Hibiki at a bar tonight. I didn't know who he was at first, but eventually we started talking. I didn't learn much about Daiki himself, only that he's in town. I talked to Hibiki most of the night. He invited me to a party a friend of his is throwing. I'm guessing that Daiki might be there, or if he isn't it'll be a good place to get info on him. If I spend enough time around Hibiki he's sure to lead us to his brother."

Gai sat there stunned as she finished her story. He blinked a few times, then broke out into a proud beaming grin. He leapt to his feet, and saluted her with a thumbs-up. "EXELLENT WORK, NARUKO! YOUR INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS ARE MOST POTENT! YOU'RE TRULY FLOWERING IN YOUR SPRINGIME OF YOUTH!" His voice seemed to shake the hotel to its foundations.

Naruko winced, rubbing her ear. "Thanks, sensei, but maybe you should tone it down a notch. People are sleeping."

Gai scratched his cheek, chuckling sheepishly. Once he'd gotten himself under control he retook his seat on Lee's bed. "Still, good work, Naruko. Did Hibiki say if his brother would be at the party?"

She yawned and shook her head. "No, he didn't mention it. Still, even if he isn't there it's a good chance to find out more about him or even meet him later. Hibiki seemed very eager to impress. It was pretty easy to get the information from him."

Neji's eyebrow arched and he leaned back against the wall behind him. "Really?" He asked airily. "I wonder what it was that made him divulge so much information. Being one of the key factors in a large criminal organisation you'd think he'd be a little more tight-lipped about such things. You must have made quite the impression on him for him to be so generous."

She sat up, her legs swinging over the edge of the bed. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Her tone was low and dangerous. Being called a bitch and a street rat was one thing, but if he was calling her a slut then, ninja prodigy or not, she was going to send his head through the wall.

"He doesn't mean anything by it, Naruko." Gai interjected swiftly, trying to calm the volatile situation before a fight broke out. He shot Neji a heated warning glare and the Hyuuga sat back, saying no more.

Naruko met the boy's cold eyes with her own for a few tense seconds before looking back to Gai. "That was all the information I got. I'm meeting Hibiki at the party tomorrow, so I'll find out more then."

Gai nodded his consent. Rising from the bed, he dusted off his clothes. "Excellent. We'll decide on a plan of action tomorrow. For now you should all get some sleep, you've had a long day."

The Genin agreed with that and grabbed their sleepwear. Slipping into the bathroom to change, Gai caught her just before she shut the door.

"I meant what I said, Naruko. You did great work tonight. I'm proud of you."

Naruko, though highly annoyed by the confrontation with Neji, still blushed ever so lightly at the praise. "Thanks, Gai-sensei." It was quiet but heartfelt.

Gai nodded and smiled before leaving his Genin alone to rest.

* * *

"Why must you always try to belittle her at every opportunity, Neji?" Gai asked.

The male members of Team Gai where hidden on a rooftop across the street from the tenement building where the party was being held. Naruko was a few streets away, taking the civilian rout while they'd came ahead to scout the place. Sure enough a party was in full swing when they arrived. Music was blaring, and there was a crowd of people outside on the steps, drinking and talking loudly.

Neji didn't look up from where he was leaning against an air vent, looking down at the partygoers with little interest. "I'm just trying to show her that she's not meant for this line of work. The sooner she leaves, the sooner we get back to trying to find an actual ninja to fill her spot. Hopefully, the next one will actually have skill unlike every single one of our past and _present_ team mates."

Gai frowned mightily. "There's a fine line between stating your opinions and being a bully. What you said last night crossed that line. Naruko managed to retrieve valuable information for us and you insult her like _that_?" He turned to face the young genius. "You'd better rethink how you treat people, Neji. So far Naruko hasn't said anything because she wants to avoid a conflict, but eventually you're going to say something and she's going to take you to task for it. She's not weak. She's just a lot more mature than you are."

Neji scowled and opened his mouth to retort, but it snapped shut again seeing the much more pronounced scowl Gai was giving him. Despite his arrogance, Neji knew that the very last thing he wanted to do was go up against Maito Gai. To do so would only hurt him professionally and perhaps even physically.

Gai turned his gaze back on the building across the street. "You may not like it, but Naruko is a ninja now. That means she is our comrade, and not just a comrade but a team mate. I wish you could put your prejudices aside, but if you can't do that then you will at least be civil towards her. Insults are one thing, but victimisation is something I will not tolerate in my squad. Do I make myself clear, Genin?"

Neji was quiet for a few long moments before he quietly said, "Yes, Gai-sensei."

There was tension in the air for several minutes, the only sounds being the ones issuing from the party across the street.

Lee suddenly leaned forward, his eyes on the street. "There she is."

* * *

Naruko strolled down the darkened streets towards the party raging in the tenement building up ahead. Once again, she was dressed in her 'best' party clothes. Her best being either second-hand or scrounged from somewhere along the years. A pair of black jeans, torn at the knees, and a black tank top that unfortunately showed more of her bust than she liked made up her outfit. Once again her knife was stashed in her boot, and the chain that connected her wallet to her jeans jingled with every step.

There was a small crowd on the steps leading into the building. They gave her appraising looks as she passed, none of them recognising her. She noticed that some of them wore Hatchet Boyz vests. One of them wolf whistled and she glared at him.

She followed the deafening sound of fast paced guitar and drums up the stairs to the third floor. The hallway was packed with people, and empty cups, bottles, and wrappers littered the ground. Most were standing around talking, dancing, or on the floor passed out. Naruko easily found the apartment where the centre of the party was taking place and stepped inside.

She'd never seen anything like it before, to be honest. People were dancing, drinking, talking, shouting, lying on the floor, sitting around, running back and forth, kissing, grinding against their respective partners, and tons of other things she couldn't even begin to describe. It was one thing sitting in a bar, but standing here in a stranger's home, surrounded by people she didn't know made Naruko feel uncomfortable and out of place. She hovered in the doorway for a few seconds before a voice called out to her over the din.

"Naruko!" She turned to see Hibiki pushing his was through the crowd. A beer was clutched in his hand and he grinned upon seeing her. "You made it! I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up!"

She smirked at him, instantly starting her act. "And miss a good party? No chance."

The young ganger laughed. "Thatagirl! C'mon in, get yourself a drink!"

He led her deeper into the apartment. She swiped an unopened can of soda. When Hibiki handed her some vodka to mix with it, she waited until he turned away to talk to someone before she poured a measure into the sink, screwing the cork back on as he turned back around. He took the bottle back and led her over to where a large number of people were sat around a coffee table on the sofa, chairs, or even the floor. The table's wooden surface was buried beneath bear bottles, food wrappers, and even a bong.

"S'cuse us, buddy." Hibiki said as he pushed a guy that had been dozing on the armrest of the couch to the floor. The man didn't make a sound as he hit the ground. Either he was very drunk or very dead. Hibiki didn't seem to care to much. He dropped down onto the couch and motioned for Naruko to join him. She sank onto the couch between him and the armrest. The others seated around him looked at them.

"Hey, Hibiki! Man, ain't seen you in ages! Who's the new chick?" A young guy asked, glancing up from where he was separating lines of white powder on a small mirror with a razor. Naruko estimated he couldn't be any older than Hibiki.

"Fruaka! Hey, man, how ya been? Yeah, this is Naruko, she's in town for a couple of days. Naruko, this is Fruaka."

"Nice to meet ya." Fruaka raised his head from what he was doing long enough to give a quick nod.

"Pleasure's all mine." Naruko said dryly as she watched him hold up the mirror to a girl sitting beside him. The girl took out a rolled up tube of paper, and quickly snorted three lines then slouched back in her chair, her head lolling and her eyes rolling.

Naruko was pretty sure the girl was as young as she was.

"So, what've you guys been up to?" Hibiki asked, putting one foot up on the edge of the table and resting his arms along the back of the couch. Naruko was glad that his arm was just resting behind her head and that he didn't try to wrap it around her shoulder.

Hibiki and his friends spoke for a while, during which time Naruko was content to sit back, sip her drink, and absorb what little information was actually useful to the mission. It wasn't until what must have been an hour or two into the party when one of Hibiki's friends turned to her. It was a woman, probably in her twenties. Her dirty blonde hair feel down her back, obscuring, but not totally covering the Hatchet Boyz vest she wore.

"So, Naruko was it? What brings you to our town?" She asked, throwing back her shot before reaching for another.

Naruko blinked. She'd been zoned out, absentmindedly drumming her fingers on her knee in-time with the music. "Hm? Oh, I'm just visiting with a few friends of mine. We're supposed to be visiting students from the dojo in Tanzaku Gai."

The woman snickered. "Dojo? You must be some well off street kids if they'll take allow you in a dojo!"

Naruko gave a chagrined smirk to cover her wince. She hadn't thought of that. She covered well with, "Well, _officially_ it's a dojo, but in reality it's a glorified fight pit with a bar. We usually do a few nights there when we need money. The betting's pretty good most nights."

Hibiki grinned. "Wouldn't expect any less! Did I tell you where I met her? In the Old Bull!"

That got a few low whistles and approving looks.

"Damn! I thought out-of-towners had the fear of that place! Can't remember the last time I saw anybody that wasn't Otafuku Gai born and raised." A girl with dark olive coloured skin shook her head, head dreadlocks swaying with the motion.

Hibiki chucked. Raising his glass he proclaimed, "To Naruko the Brave!"

"Naruko the Brave!"

Naruko snorted and rolled her eyes at the toast but raised her own glass regardless.

"So," Another of the guys said. This one had a curious lack of gang vest. "You a strong gal, Naruko-chan?"

Naruko couldn't stop the ironic smirk that made its way onto her face. If that wasn't the understatement of the century she didn't know what was. She merely shrugged and sipped her drink. "You could say that."

The stranger grinned. "Well then, how about a little test of might? You see that guy over there?" He jerked his chin towards a small table on the other side of the room where a man had just won what appeared to be an arm wrestling contest. "That baldy bastard's been challenging people to arm wrestling contests all night. Hasn't lost once yet. He's been raking in a fortune! How about you go over there and see if your strength matches up against his?"

Hibiki's eyebrows rose at the request and he turned to her with a half-grin. "What'd'ya say, Naruko? Up for a little test of might?"

Naruko swirled her drink as she thought about it. With expenses a frugal as hers she really couldn't afford to be gambling at all. But on the other hand she'd yet to meet anyone (Save Gai, and maybe Lee) who could match her in physical strength. She glanced over at the table again in time to see the man slam down another unlucky competitor's arm with a howl of victory.

'_What the __Hell__, it's free money.'_

"Alight then." Naruko agreed nonchalantly.

The small group cheered and Hibiki looked over at the table. "Oi, Yamichi! We've got another opponent for you, guy!"

The bald man Yamichi looked up. "Really? Who's my opponent?"

Hibiki pointed to Naruko who stood up to face him.

"Her?" Yamichi laughed incredulously. A few of the crowd joined in. "You've got to be joking, Hibiki! I'd break the girl in two!"

Hibiki glanced at Naruko, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Raising to stand beside her he shot Yamichi a challenging grin. "So you think you'd win, do you? How sure are you?"

"A hundred percent!" Yamichi boasted, folding his thick arms across his chest.

"Really?" Hibiki asked slyly. "So you know for sure that you'll beat her?"

"Positive!"

"Well then, how about upping the stakes?"

Yamichi looked at him warily. "What do you mean?"

Hibiki looked around. "Well… how about that if Naruko wins," He grinned at the man. "you have to hand over all the money you've won tonight?"

Yamichi blanched and looked at the large pile sitting beside him. That was no small amount of cash. Easily a good haul for a week, never mind a single night. Swallowing the lump in his throat he asked, "And what if I win?"

Hibiki shrugged. "Then you get your money. It wouldn't be fair for Naruko to risk loosing more than anyone else since you _know_ you're gonna win. What do you say? Take the bet?"

Yamichi looked pale as he looked between the money and Naruko, obviously trying to see whether the risk was worth it. The crowd started to get a bit riled up at the new bet, and many started calling for him to take it. When he showed hesitance they started to heckle him, calling him a coward and making several disparaging comments about his manhood. Eventually, his pride won out and he agreed to the bet.

The crowd cheered as Naruko took her place at the table. Hibiki and his group followed her over and he looked out over the crowded room, getting everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Can I have your attention for one minute? We're about to play witness to a battle of epic proportions! The 'mighty and manly' Yamichi is going head to head with 'little' Naruko here, putting all his accumulated winnings on the line! Time to gather round and place your bets!"

The entire room surrounded the little table, each placing their bets on who they thought would win. It seemed many were on Yamichi's side, but quite a few others, including Hibiki and his group, were putting their money on her.

Naruko dropped her wager on the table as she sat down. The large form of Yamichi looked at her from across the table. He grinned lopsidedly at her. "You look even smaller up close. You sure you want to do this? You'll just be throwing away you money for no reason. Why don't you just toddle off now? I won't even take your money from you."

She raised a challenging eyebrow at him. "Was that fear I heard in you voice, Yamichi-san? If you really don't want to face me you don't have to. Just leave your winnings and walk away. You won't have your money but you'll still have your pride and dignity." Then she shrugged. "Or by all means stay and I'll take all three from you."

The crowd howled with laughter, many cheering the young girl on just for the guts she had. Yamichi scowled at her and rested his elbow on the table. "Hurry up, girlie! Let's see if you can hold your own against me!"

Naruko calmly rested her own elbow on the table and clutched Yamichi's big mitt in her own tiny fist. She noticed that the man's bicep was at least two or three times thicker than her arm.

Hibiki had a hold of their joined hands, making sure nothing started before it was supposed to. He looked between them to see if they were ready, receiving a nod from each. "Alright, I want a nice clean fight 'cause a lot of folk's got money ridding on this and we don't want a riot on our hands. First one who's hand touches the table looses. Ready? Three… two… one… begin!"

The second Hibiki let the hands go they started shaking, each trying to overpower the other. Yamichi's face was a little red and he was huffing as he attempted to force Naruko's hand to the table, his gaze fixed on the tabletop where he intended to slam her hand into. Naruko on the other hand looked perfectly calm and composed. She wasn't even looking at their hands. Instead her icy gaze was focused directly on Yamichi's face, which was currently turning a light shade of plum, the veins in his bald head standing taunt. The crowd was hollering encouragement to the competitors. Hibiki was right behind Naruko, his hands clenched on the back of her chair, as he kept up a steady stream of encouragements of his own.

Slowly though, Yamichi's hand started to force Naruko's down towards the tabletop. It was slow and torturous, but every inch taken sent the crowd to new heights of frenzy. They yelled even louder, stamping their feet and waving their arms as if hoping it would affect the outcome of the match.

When Naruko's hand was a scant inch from the dirty tabletop Yamichi looked up at her. His face was red and sweaty but he was grinning. When he spoke his voice came out in terse puffs as he tried to force her hand that last inch. "Where's all that boasting now, eh, girlie? Thought you said you'd take my pride, my dignity, and my money? You should have realised you can't beat me!"

Naruko's eyebrows arched as if she were surprised. Titlting her head to the side, she looked politely confused and apparently not at all concerned that she was about to lose the bet. "Beat you?" Unlike Yamichi's voice, hers came out perfectly normal. "I thought you wanted me to hold my own against you? Oh well, if you wanted me to beat you then you should have just asked."

With that Naruko simple snapped his arm back with no more effort than it took to swat a fly. Yamichi's hand impacted the table with jarring force, and the sudden powerful move by Naruko sent the large man literally flying out of his seat. He hit the legs of the surrounding crowd, almost taking a few of them down with him. Someone dropped their drink in the collision and it spilled squarely on Yamichi's shiny bald head.

Dead silence filled the room. Yamichi, dazed and confused, rolled onto his back, cradling his sore right arm. He looked up to see Naruko with her elbow on the table, her chin cupped in her palm as she stared down at him.

"Oops." She said, sounding quite bored. "Guess I win then, huh?"

The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter. Many were collecting on their bets, or shouting about the sudden and unexpected change of events. Hibiki's friend were cheering like lunatics as the man himself shoved the large pile of money towards Naruko.

"Milady, your winnings!" He announced with a regal bow. Naruko couldn't help but give a lazy grin as she slipped all the notes into her pockets. She'd only managed to stuff her wallet with about a quarter of the total amount before it was full.

She looked up at the circle of people around her. Holding out her arms she asked, "Anyone else?"

Unsurprisingly, they all hastily shook their heads and went back to the party. Hibiki grinned at her as she stood from the table and reclaimed her drink from him. "How do you feel?" He asked, raising his glass.

"Richer." Was all Naruko said, clinking her glass against his.

The party raged on through the night. The people around them got progressively more wild as the heavy drinking began to take full affect. Naruko sat with Hibiki and his friends, talking and drinking. She was shocked to find that she was actually enjoying herself in their company, something she'd never expected. Still, she decided to sit back and enjoy it while it lasted.

Unfortunate, it didn't last very long.

A commotion outside in the hallway caught the attention of everyone on the room, brining the party to a grinding halt, when suddenly the apartment was flooded with police marshals clad in black stab-proof vest and navy blue fatigues reminiscent of her own green ones, thick nightsticks and clutched in their hands. For a second she's mistaken them for ninja.

"Everyone up against the walls! Don't move and don't try anything! You! Put the drugs down, now! Come on, everybody, move!"

An officer was yelling orders while the rest swarmed the guests. A few tried to hide incriminating evidence but were swiftly caught and the evidence grabbed. Naruko was unceremoniously jerked out of her seat by a heavyset female marshal and shoved up against the wall with the others. Her arms and legs were spread as she was searched.

"Hey, what the Hell, man?" Hibiki asked incredulously when she was grabbed. Standing from the couch he came face to face with the officer who'd been doing all the shouting. Naruko listened in while she was searched.

"Shinobu Hibiki. I thought we'd find you here, slumming it with your junkie mates. Here for a fix are we?"

"Ah, Sgt. Hayato! Nice to see you again! We were just having a few cordial drinks until you and your men interrupted. Didn't you know this was an invitation only party?"

"Stuff it, Shinobu. We received a tip off that there were drugs on the premises. Are there drugs, Hibiki?"

"Not that I know of, Sgt."

"Oh really." Naruko looked over her shoulder to the sergeant pick something up off the table. When he held it up she saw that it was a bag of marijuana. The sergeant looked around the room at each of the arrested partygoers. "Who's is this, eh? Who's drugs are these?" He received only silence. "If you don't tell us well just haul you all down to the station and have you tested there." Still no one said anything.

Suddenly the woman searching Naruko spoke up.

"Sgt!" She called. She was holding up a sheathed combat knife, the one she'd found inside Naruko's boot.

The sergeant looked at the knife with fake surprise before turning to Naruko expectantly. At a loss for anything else to do, Naruko just shrugged. "It's not mine?"

"I'm sure it isn't." The man snorted sarcastically. Looking around at his men he shouted, "Alright! Drugs possession and armed with deadly weapons! Get them searched, cuffed, and put them in the wagons!"

Naruko sighed then grunted as her arms were pulled behind her back to be cuffed. Her hand roughly grabbing her upper arm, the police woman who'd searched her led her out of the apartment along with the rest of the arrested partygoers. Naruko ignored her as she told her her rights. Pulled roughly down the stairs of the tenement building, Naruko was dragged towards the awaiting wagons.

* * *

"Oh dear. This isn't good." Gai muttered as he watched his student get hauled out of the tenement. She was pulled by a thickset police woman towards the awaiting armoured horse drawn wagons. Just as she was about to step inside she glance up towards the rooftop, her eyes finding him instantly. He gave her a reassuring nod to which she nodded back and allowed herself to be loaded into the wagon without complaint.

Gai turned to his two remaining students.

"Gai-sensei! What do we do? We can't just let them arrest Naruko!" Lee hissed adamantly. He knew better than to raise his voice and give away their position. Still, the whole situation was looking very un-Youthful at the moment.

Gai shook his head. "No, Lee. We will get Naruko out but we need to be careful. We're closing in on Daiki, and if we lose this trail it may take weeks to find him again once he knows ninja are searching for him."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Neji asked.

Gai thought about it. "We should return to the hotel for now. We'll need to formulate a plan before we can ensure Naruko's release. Don't worry, though. We _will_ get her out of there. Come!"

With that the remaining members of Team Gai took off across the rooftops of Otafuku Gai, the dark of the night concealing their movements. As Gai leapt from roof to roof only one thought made itself known in his mind.

'_This mission has just __become __quite a bit more complicated.'_

* * *

**A/N: There we go! Another chapter! Remember to Read and Review! Reviews are brain food for authors, they make us write quicker!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, I don't.

**IPORTANT A/N: I have realised that the end of Chapter 5 was a little iffy. When I was writing the chapter I toed a fine line between fantasy and modern, and in my excitement of having the chapter almost complete I tripped a little too much to the modern side. I mean Naruko getting arrested for carrying a knife? It seems that in the Narutoverse you could walk through a town with a megaton nuke and no one would bat an eye. The knife laws here in Scotland are insanely tight (For good reason) and I put that into the fic without really meaning to. I'm going to fix it soon. The story is still the same and nothing of the plot has changed, just the words which were spoken as Naruko was arrested.**

**For reference sake, the police force mentioned in the last chapter are now known as the Prefects and they have very simple uniforms and carry katana instead of the riot gear they carried in the first draft of Chapter 5.**

**Warning: Copious amounts of swearing contained in this chapter. Hey, they're criminals...**

**CHAPTER 6**

Hiroto had been a member of the Otafuku Gai City Prefects going on thirty years, twenty-two of those spent holding his current rank as lieutenant. In those many years he'd enjoyed a mostly happy life. He'd graduated from the academy with honours, advanced through the ranks quickly, he was married to his second wife whom he loved, and had three children who he couldn't be more proud of. Of course it was not all happy times. The life of a Prefect meant hardship. The long hours, the strenuous workload, the loss of a friend on the streets had all worked to make him older than his years. But he soldiered on, determined to make it so that his future grandkids could walk the streets of Otafuku Gai without fear. And he liked to think he was doing a pretty good job so far. He liked to think that there wasn't a situation he wasn't prepared for, or a face on his streets that he didn't know.

Of course that was before his subordinate entered his office and handed him a file of someone arrested on _his_ _streets _that apparently did not exist.

Lt. Hiroto looked at his subordinate over the very thin file in his hands. A file that was only one sheet long. He raised an eyebrow in expectation.

Prefect Yori, a recent recruit from the academy but one who possessed some potential, stood rigid at attention as he answered the unasked question. "Sir, that's the file on one of the suspects we arrested at raid last night. She was put in lockup with the others until we could deal with her, but when I searched the database I came up with some… rather queer results, sir."

Hiroto leaned back in his chair, the worn seat creaking with the motion. "And what were these 'queer results', Prefect Yori?"

Yori licked his lips nervously. Hiroto had been told many times how intimidating his gaze could be when it was focused directly on you, and used such fear to his advantage. He found it made office life easier. "Well, sir, as you know it's procedure to fingerprint every suspect upon arrest and search the database for any outstanding warrants."

"Prefect, let's skip the academy lecture. I've been a Prefect myself for many years you know." Lt. Hiroto grumbled impatiently.

Yori cleared his throat nervously. "Of course, sir. Well when I fingerprinted the girl the computer turned up nothing. At first I thought it was simply her first time being arrested so I thought nothing of it. She refused to say anything to us, meaning she wouldn't tell us where she lived, how old she was, or even her name. Later I went through her affects to see if I could find any ID, but that was a bust too. What I did find however surprised me. Her pockets had been stuffed full of cash, as had her wallet; far more that you'd take with you to a simple house party. My interest piqued, I asked around. It seems that no one at that party had ever seen her before. Apparently Shinobu Hibiki had invited her, and if the word is true she didn't leave his side the entire night."

Hiroto clucked his tongue in thought as he stared down at the rap sheet in his hand, if it could even be called a rap sheet. All it contained was the girl's height, gender, approximate age, a short description, and a mug shot. He peered down at the small photo. He was sure that he'd never seen her before. A happily married man though he may be, the girl was just too unique looking to forget easily. Either she was a slum girl just breaking into the scene or she was from out of town.

"Alright, I'll bite." Hiroto said, slapping the file down on his cluttered desk. "Tell me your theory."

"Sir, I believe that this girl may in fact be the one who was supplying the drugs at the party. She had more money on her than you'd feel comfortable taking to a party like that. Not only that but when we arrested her she was as cool as anything. No fighting. No attitude. No nothing. It was as if the whole thing was nothing more than a bore to her."

"Strange." Hiroto muttered, rubbing his stubble coated chin. "But nothing concrete."

"Not unless you take into consideration her relationship with Hibiki. She was next to him all night. From what the more loose-lipped partygoers say Hibiki might have been interested in her but there was nothing in their body language that suggested a close personal relationship. This makes me think that she's one of the gang's contacts outside of town."

"If that's true, is there any particular reason why you think she's visiting? I can't imagine that a dealer would come all the way from another town just to supply for one measly party."

Yori shuffled his feet slightly. "Well, sir, there is _that_ event happening soon."

"You think she's here to attend it?"

"Why not, sir? It's supposed to be a big event. Most of the top players in the gang are meant to be in attendance, including Daiki himself, whom we've been unable to find ever since he arrived back from his little trip out of town. If she's as close an associate of Hibiki as we think she is then she could have gotten herself an invite."

Lt. Hiroto laced his fingers together, his elbows leaning heavily on his desk as he thought. This was a delicate situation. They were now closer to eradicating the Hatchet Boyz than ever before; a task they couldn't risk failing. The gang had spread quickly after its birth, too quickly for the Prefects to handle. Before long they'd firmly entrenched themselves in every pot of vice in the town, even expanding out to a few of the surrounding towns as well. They were a plague, and the Otafuku Gai Prefects were a hair's breadth away from curing it forever. If this girl had any connection to it then it was worth looking into.

"Prefect Yori, have the girl brought to the interrogation rooms. I want a word with her…"

* * *

Naruko had thought that the bars she had visited over the last few nights had been bad, but now she was fairly certain that she had actually discovered Hell on Earth.

As soon as they'd arrived at the station, they'd been pulled from the armoured wagons, fingerprinted and photographed, then herded like cattle into the holding cells below the station. It wasn't anything glamorous. Just a large, belowground room filled with barred cages holding dozens of loud, angry, rambunctious, smelly, and rather drunk prisoners. It seemed every single one of them was shouting, banging against the bars, or making some kind of noise in some way or another.

Naruko grunted in annoyance and shifted against the bare concrete wall from where she sat on the stone bench, which jutted out of the thick stonework. Her back was resting against the bars separating them from the next cell as she tried unsuccessfully to find a more comfortable position to sit in. She'd been here the entire night, and had not managed to get one wink of sleep; something she valued greatly.

Not that she would have slept though. Not even if the cell had its own queen sized bed with the most luxurious of coverings. Because not only did she get her own cell, she got a dozen poorly washed, loud cellmates to share it with.

And if that wasn't the proverbial cherry on top, she just so happened to be the only _female _in the cell.

Apparently the Otafuku Gai Prefects were all for gender equality when it came to their prisoners.

Joy.

"So, what did a sweet little thing like you do to get locked up in here then?"

Naruko ignored the fool. She just sat with her head resting against the bars, her eyes closed.

"Aw, what's the matter? You scared of little old me? No reason to be, darlin'. Why don't you come over here and I'll show you just how kind I can be?"

'_I'd sooner scrub myself down with barbed wire.'_

Another oily voice spoke up, high pitched and wheezy. "Maybe she's just shy? Maybe she just needs a little convincing?"

"You know what? That sounds like a good idea."

Naruko's eye snapped open and pinned the fat slob with one of her best glares, just as he was about to stand up. "You take one step over here and you and your crotch will be going to the morgue in separate bags."

Some of the other prisoners in the cell laughed, but tubby had seen the steely glint in her eye and sensed that she was more than capable of following through on her threat. The blubbering sack of waste paled and flopped back down on his butt and said nothing more.

Assured that she would be bothered no more, Naruko shifted against the wall and let her eye close. It was barely five minutes later when there was a banging on the cell door followed by the sound of someone shouting over the din.

"You! The girl! Up, you're coming with me."

Naruko's eyes opened again to see a youngish looking Prefect waiting for her impatiently, a heavy set of keys in hand. Pushing herself off the bench, she made her way over to the cell door. The Prefect fumbled with the keys for a moment before the cage slid open with a bang, only to snap shut as soon as she stepped out. With not so much as a word spoken, the young man motioned for her to follow before spinning on his heel and marching off between the cells. She followed him up out of the holding area, thankful to get away from the constant noise. The Prefect led her through a number of hallways before they came to a part of the building filled with what appeared to be offices, each with heavy black curtains over the windows. He stopped before one and motioned her inside, that stern frown still marring his face. She stepped inside silently before the door was closed and locked behind her.

They weren't offices. They were interrogation rooms. Just bare rooms furnished only by a single steel table that had been bolted to the floor, two similarly steel chairs, a barred window that looked out onto the back lot of the station, and a large mirror taking up most of one of the walls. Naruko slowly made her way around the table and lowered herself into the chair furthest from the door. She barely got comfortable when the door opened again.

The young Prefect from before was gone. In his place stood an older, more powerfully built man. Standing erect in a well pressed officer's uniform of black satin and gold trimming he gave an air of authority and station, the streaks of grey about his temples complimenting his otherwise jet black hair, giving him an almost regal bearing. In one hand he griped the sheath of his ceremonial katana which hung cinched at his waist. Under the other was clutched a very thin file. His finely polished boots clicked on the cold tile flooring as he approached the only empty chair, directly across from Naruko. He dropped the file on the table before lowering himself into the seat, his back straight and his hands folding on the surface before him. His beetle black eyes glimmered with veteran intelligence as he stared at the young woman in front of him.

He was silent for a few moments before he began. "I've never been one for preamble so I'll just cut right to the chase. I am Lt. Hiroto of the Otafuku Gai Prefect force. You were arrested at a house party on the south-east side of the village last night. During a brief search we found numerous drug paraphernalia in the apartment as well as in the possession of a number of party goers. When you arrived at the station we searched you and found a considerable amount of money; more than anyone would carry for a simple night on the town. We searched and questioned the others we arrested at the party but found no evidence as to who was supplying those drugs."

"And you think I did it." Naruko guessed, sounding quite bored.

Hiroto merely raised a brow at the girl's flippancy. Interesting. "What makes you think that?"

She simply regarded him with a droll look. "Why else would you be telling me all this?"

"So you're saying you didn't supply the drugs?"

"Exactly."

"What about the large amount of money you were carrying around? Where did all that come from?"

"Won it in an arm wrestling contest. Ask anyone there, they all saw." Naruko wasn't even looking at him now. Instead her attention was on a small bird perched on the other side of the window.

Hiroto tried a different approach. "What is you relationship with Shinobu Hibiki?"

Naruko grunted. "What relationship? We just met the other night."

"So you've never seen or talked to him before in your life?"

"Never."

"What about Shinobu Daiki? You ever met him?"

Naruko spared him a bland glance. "Who?"

Hiroto was getting tired of this. They were too close to breaking up the Hatchet Boyz for an unknown element to come in and screw it all up now. He wanted answers. "Look, girl. You're in a precarious position here. You were found in the company of some of this town's most notorious criminals, surrounded by drugs which nobody apparently sold, and in possession of a large quantity of money that no sane person would dare take to a slum party. No one knows who you are and there's no record of you anywhere in our database. I was also told that when you were arrested it had seemed like you were no stranger to drug raids. Even you have to admit that this is all very suspicious."

"Oh, so because I had money at a slum party and aren't afraid of you I must have done something? Excellent detective work, lieutenant." Naruko sneered.

Hiroto's eyes narrowed slightly in irritation, but he bit his tongue. Instead he calmly collected himself, and in a more controlled tone he said, "Okay. Forget our suspicions for a minute. Say you're not a dealer. Say you've never met Shinobi Hibiki and this is all just a big mistake. If you really have nothing to hide then I guess you'll have no problem answering a few questions, will you?"

Naruko said nothing.

Hiroto folded his hands on the table before him. "Okay, first question. What's your name?"

Naruko remained quiet. When she first became a ninja she'd been given a list of military regs to follow, and one of them was to never give out your name or the name of your village when captured. She didn't know if 'arrested' was quite the same as 'captured' but she stayed mum all the same.

Hiroto quirked his head. "What's wrong? I thought you had nothing to hide? Surely you can give us your name, can't you?" Again, nothing. "Fine. What about the name of the town you're from? Can you tell us that?"

Silence was his only answer.

The lieutenant sighed irritably and rose to his feet. They were done here. "That's it, I gave you your chance. Since I highly doubt you're from here, I feel I should tell you that any suspect in a Prefect investigation can be held for a period of up to seventy-two hours without charge. Maybe a few days in the bullpen will jog your memory."

Lt. Hiroto spun on his heel and swept out of the interrogation room, Prefect Yori following behind. Hiroto vaguely head his subordinate order a few of the other junior officers to take the girl back to the cells before he fell in step behind the ageing vet.

"Are you okay, sir?" Yori inquired as to his superior's obvious agitation.

Hiroto sighed heavily. "No, I'm not. By all means we've no reason to hold the girl. The only thing we've against her is our suspicions. There's no proof that she didn't win that money and there was nothing else on her to suggest she was dealing. But on the other hand there's a very small chance, however minute, that she _could _be a dealer and that she's covered her tracks very well. The fact that she wouldn't tell us her name or where she was from supports that theory." He rubbed his weary face with his hand. "I don't like this. I'm being forced to run roughshod over my own investigation just to keep it intact." They reached his office, and Hiroto dropped his katana on the desk as he took his seat.

"Sir?" Yori asked, confused.

Hiroto explained. "What do you think Daiki would think if we raided a party his little brother was attending just a few days before the biggest event on the Hatchet Boyz' calendar? He'd be naturally suspicious. We need to make the raid seem convincing. That means we need to charge someone now, even if we end up dropping the charges later just to make the whole thing look authentic. If we charge the girl with the drug offences now then Daiki wouldn't give a second thought to the matter."

Lt. Hiroto sighed resignedly as he stared at a picture of his family, the only decoration on his otherwise bare desk. "We're too close to getting rid of Daiki and his lot. As much as I hate to say it, that girl is the sacrifice that will secure the future of the town."

* * *

Naruko was bundled out of the interrogation room and back down into the holding cells. They were given a small meal of a piece of bread and a cup of water each before the lights were cut and the cells were plunged into darkness for the night. Despite this Naruko got no sleep. She wondered what her team was up to. Would they continue on with the mission and capture Daiki before coming back and securing her release? Or would they somehow manage to get her out before then? Either way she didn't know how they would manage it. That lieutenant seemed pretty eager to pin those drug charges on her for some reason…

Night gradually slipped into day and the sun's beams poked through the barred windows, casting blocky shapes on the floors. The occupants awoke in a ruckus of shouting, banging, cursing, farting, and groaning, and before too long the noise level rose to the same deafening crescendo as it had the day before.

After yet another _scrumptious _breakfast (This time including a free cup of ice cold porridge) Naruko quickly found herself bored out of her mind. With the only alternative being interacting with her fellow cellmates, she chose to do a cut down version of her usual morning routine. Finding an open space on the floor of the cell she dropped to her hands and started to churn out push-ups and rapid succession.

One of the male occupants of the cell glanced away from where he was talking to his friends and stole a look at the young redhead doing her exercises just a few feet away from him. He felt himself heat up as he watched her move. She was a fine looking girl indeed, and the way those jeans hung low on her hips and hugged her shapely rear was driving him wild. The teen was so engrossed in her push-ups that she didn't notice the lecherous grin on the guy's face, nor did she notice when he boldly reached out his hand.

She did, however, feel it when that hand came down with a resounding smack on her right butt cheek.

She froze at the height of her current push-up. Ever so slowly, her head turned until her eyes landed on the smugly grinning idiot sitting a few feet from her. The man sat back with a satisfied look on his face. He smiled oily at her. "Nice ass, Red. Real firm, too."

The guard was making his scheduled checks of the cells, making sure everything was in order and that the suspects weren't trying to kill each other. Despite being surrounded by the entirety of Otafuku Gai's Prefect force there were some people who just didn't learn and thought nothing of starting a punch up in the cages, either because someone looked at them funny or simply just for the Hell of it. Of course, the mere appearance of his uniform enticed a ton of jeers from the cells he passed. Still, he remained alert. It wouldn't be the first time one of the inmates threw their own faeces at him just because he was a Prefect. He sighed. Cell detail sucked.

He was just passing one of the cells in question when all of a sudden a body slammed into the cage bars with a resounding bang. The young guard let out a startled yelp as the man fell to the concrete floor with a thump, groaning pitifully. Blinking owlishly, he peered through the bars to see the majority of the cell, and even the cells close enough to see what had happened, staring with wide eyes at a young girl who had since gone back to her push-ups.

He was still staring when another older guard lumbered up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Jarred from his stupor, he turned to find an senior Prefect looking impatiently at him.

"Get the door. The lieutenant wants to see the redhead." Was all the older man said.

The cell guard blinked stupidly for a few seconds before his brain processed what it was being told.

"Oh, right!" The young man fumbled with the keys for a moment before unlocking the cell door and opening it with a loud clank. The girl was called out and a pair of handcuffs were clamped around her wrists.

The older Prefect took a firm grip of her upper arm before dragging her none too gently out off the holding area. "Come on. The lieutenant wants to speak to you."

She was quickly let away from the chaos of the holding cells and through a number of offices before they came to a small side office. The Prefect ushered her inside and glanced up and down the corridor before closing the door firmly behind them.

Naruko took in the office. Its cold and dusty appearance, and the fact that the chair upholstery was torn and the desk surface was riddled with gouges told her that this office was years out of use. She was immediately on guard. She glared at the man who had just turned to face her. "What's going on?" She demanded.

The Prefect said nothing. She was about to ask again when suddenly there was a _poomf _and smoke burst from nowhere to flood the room. She tensed and tried to peer through the smoke at the obscured form in front of her. Quickly enough the smokescreen cleared, and in the Prefect's place stood the powerfully built form of Maito Gai.

Naruko's shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't even known she'd been holding. "Sensei!"

Gai smiled at his student. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Naruko. How have things been in here?"

She sighed and leaned against the broken desk, her cuffed hands laying uselessly against her lap. "About as well as you can expect. They're trying to charge me for dealing drugs at the party."

"What? How did they come to that conclusion?"

"They found a ton of money on me that I won, and thought that since I know Hibiki and are from out of town I must be up to something. The lieutenant that interrogated me seemed pretty eager to lay the blame on me no matter what I said. It was as if he'd already made up his mind before he even saw me. Personally, I think they're just looking for someone to pin the blame on."

"That's all they have? And they're still trying to pin the blame on you?" When she nodded Gai frowned. "That makes no sense. I did some digging and I know they've charged others that were at the party but in those cases there was sufficient evidence. The rest they let go. Why they're trying to pin this on you I have no idea."

"Could it be that they just want to make an arrest to make themselves look good or something? You know, say they took a big drug dealer off the streets and get the credit?" Naruko knew very little about law enforcement outside Konoha. The most she knew she got from a single book in her very small collection; a novel about a retired detective investigating his old partner's murder. She didn't know how much was real and how much was fake so she was flying blind on the subject.

But Gai shook his head. "I doubt it. Konoha keeps very close watch on the towns and villages closest to us, unofficially of course. I know that Otafuku Gai had problems with corruption once, but that was stamped out years ago, and now the powers that be keep a far closer eye on them. No, there's something else going on here."

"But what?"

"That I don't know, but I intend to find out. I'd advise you sit tight in the meantime."

"What if they try to charge me anyway?" She asked somewhat worriedly.

Gai smiled reassuringly. "Never fear, Naruko! If all goes according to plan you'll be out of here by Friday. If not, then there's always Plan B."

"Plan B?"

"I sneak you out of your cell as I just did, we Henge into different disguises, clear your information from the Prefect's database, secure any evidence connected to you, and walk out the front door."

Naruko blinked. Plan B was simple, but sounded very good to her.

Gai peered through the blinds to check the position of the sun outside, not trusting the battered clock on the derelict office's wall. He sighed. "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short, Naruko, but we should get you back to your cell in case someone comes looking for you."

Naruko gave her own sigh and pushed off the desk. Gai transformed back into his Prefect personae and took her arm again, giving her a reassuring squeeze in the process as he led her back to the holding area.

* * *

Lt. Hiroto sighed as he opened the door to his office. It had been a damn long day and all he wanted was to go home, have dinner with his family and fall asleep in his nice, warm bed. But before that could happen he needed to finish signing some forms. Sometimes he longed for the simple life of being a regular street Prefect.

He reached for the light switch and flicked it, but instead of the piss poor light he was used to, the room remained in darkness. He tried it a few more times before groaning in annoyance. "Damn shitty bulbs. Five minutes of half-light and that's them done!" He grumbled as he fumbled through the darkness towards his desk. He cursed loudly when he banged his hip against one of the hard corners before he eventually found the desk lamp. Its light was only enough to illuminate the desk and its occupant, but left the rest of the room in a thick blackness. Setting his sword aside, he grudgingly tried to get through his work as quickly as possible so he could go home.

He was almost halfway through when the cramp in his wrist forced him to take a small break. Setting down his pen he leaned back in his chair, stretching with a loud groan as the bones in his back popped.

"A long day at the office, lieutenant?"

Hitoro's eyes snapped open and his hand flew to where he had left his katana, only for to grasp empty air.

"It's not there. I thought it better if this conversation didn't involve weapons."

The senior Prefect narrowed his eyes as he tried, unsuccessfully, to discern the identity of the intruder through the darkness. The voice was soft spoken, but sounded as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at once, making it impossible to find the intruder through sound.

"Who's there?" Hiroto demanded, his voice strong and unwavering despite his unease.

"I may tell you, but first I want your word that this conversation will remain confidential and _quiet_."

"You're not in any position to make demands."

"Oh, I think I am."

Hiroto felt a tap on his shoulder and immediately spun, lashing out with a fist, but hit only air. He strained his ears as his eyes darted from side to side. He hadn't even heard the assailant move. It was as if he/she/it were a ghost.

Left with little other option he relented. "Fine. I swear this conversation will remain confidential and quiet. Now show yourself."

The lieutenant noticed a slight movement in the gloom and watched as the mystery person emerged into the pathetic light cast by his desk lamp, revealing him to be a tall, powerfully built man with shiny black hair. Despite the absurdity of the man's clothing, he seemed to exude an aura of calm, quiet deadliness.

Hiroto's eyes narrowed and his anger returned when he saw the flak vest and the metal plate tied around the man's waist. "Konoha. What the Hell is a Leaf ninja doing here?"

"I will tell you if you take a seat and calm down."

"I think I'll stand, thanks." Hiroto declined tersely.

Gai sighed and decided to get right down to it. He wasn't sure the lieutenant's patience would last long. "Fair enough. You have one of my Genin students in custody. I want her released."

Hiroto blinked and looked confused. "Your student? What are you talking about? We don't have any ninja in custody!"

"The girl you arrested and interrogated. The redhead."

"Her? A ninja?" The lieutenant looked sceptical. "If she's a ninja why wasn't she wearing one of your headbands when we found her?"

"We're on a mission." Gai explained. "She was undercover when you arrested her. I need her released so we can continue our mission."

"And this mission would be?"

"Classified to you."

Hiroto frowned at that. "If you want my help you'd better start supplying some answers, ninja."

Gai frowned right back and hardened his gaze. "I don't need your help, _lieutenant_. I have the authority of the Hokage and the Fire Daimyo backing me. 'Any ninja mission certified by either the ruling Hokage or Daimyo is given precedence over local legislature and falls solely under the auspices of the Hokage and the Daimyo'. So you see, you _need_ to do as I say or you'll be breaking the law."

Hiroto's fists clenched and he grit his teeth. He knew the ninja was right. By all means, he had no say in the matter. A ninja was bulletproof against local law if their actions were carried out during a mission. The only way for local law enforcement like the Otafuku Gai Prefects in the matter was to make an appeal to the Hokage or the Fire Daimyo. Still, the whole matter was very delicate and he needed to try and keep even a small measure of control.

"If I release her," He said slowly. "I need to know what your mission is."

Gai shook his head. "I told you-"

"You don't understand!" Hiroto snapped irritably as he began to pace. This was why he hated dealing with ninja. They made everything so damn difficult! "We know that girl is connected to Shinobu Hibiki, however limited, and that's what makes the whole situation so delicate!"

He slammed his hands down on his desk and held one up, the forefinger and thumb millimetres apart. "We're _this close_ to eradicating the Hatchet Boyz! We've been at this for years, but the damn gang's been so slippery that it's been an uphill battle all the way! We need to be careful. If they even _think_ we're close, they'll scramble to hide any incriminating evidence and we'll have lost. They'll be back to terrorizing the town, and this time they'll make sure there's nothing for us to find! If your mission compromises that I need to know so we can prepare for it!"

Gai stared at the fuming man for several long moments. The lieutenant wanted to know so he could do his duty to his home; something the Jounin could understand.

Carefully, he asked, "When you say you are close to wiping out the gang, how close do you mean?"

"Days. We can be free of them in a matter of _days_." Hiroto was adamant about this.

Again Gai lapsed into silence as he considered his options. By all means he should just secure Naruko's release and continue on with their mission, but on the other hand this was a decision that could effect and entire township, and that needed to be taken into consideration. If they just ignored the Prefects and proceeded with their mission, the gang could slip the noose so to speak. If the Prefects failed to wipe out the Hatchet Boyz and they did indeed grow, they could become an even greater problem within the town, and maybe even a few of the surrounding towns. And since Otafuku Gai was only a day away from Konoha as the ninja ran, that could be quite troublesome. Then again if they did help, Daiki could get away in the confusion and they would have failed their mission, and that was just not acceptable. It was all down to a simple choice…

Hiroto waited with baited breath for the ninja's reply to his plea. It could mean the future of the town or mark the beginning of its slow death.

When Gai eventually spoke, his voice rang quiet in the dark office, each word carrying a deathly seriousness, as cold as a kunai blade.

"If we help you, Lt. Hiroto, _if_ we help you then it must be on our terms. You and I have a conflict of jurisdiction here, but I have the control. I will tell you about our mission, but you will swear on your family name to never disclose this information without my approval. If you break this vow I will have no choice but to end your life. Do you understand?"

Hiroto gulped and he could a feel hot bead of sweat trickle down the side of his face. He cleared his throat and forced his back straight. He was a lieutenant of the Otafuku Gai Prefect force and would damn well act like it. "I understand and I swear to never disclose the information without your approval. Thank you, ninja-san." Hiroto bowed low at the waist in deference.

Gai nodded in acceptance. "We have an accord then." Suddenly his expression changed from a grim scowl to a wide friendly grin so fast that it struck the poor Prefect dumb. "But please, enough of this standoffish head-butting! It's rather un-Youthful, is it not?"

Hiroto nearly keeled over as the dark atmosphere that engulfed the small office was sucked out fast that it left the old veteran's head spinning. Where was the fearsome ninja that had just threatened his life? In his place now stood a vibrant, beaming, green pile of pure… Hiroto didn't know any other way to describe it… _youthful _energy.

Gai held something up. It took Hiroto a minute or two to realise it was his katana. "I believe this is yours? I'm sorry to have taken it without your permission, but you never can be too careful."

The lieutenant blinked and slowly took the sword from him. "No problem…"

"Maybe we should sit down? If we're going to work together we might as well be comfortable." Gai said as he plopped down onto one of the chairs set before the desk.

Hiroto blinked again and slowly lowered himself into his own worn seat. The office was still submerged in darkness, but the oppressive weight that seemed so strong a moment ago was gone.

Gai launched into his story. "We were ordered by the Hokage to search the town for a specific man; one Shinobu Daiki. When found, we were to capture this man and transport him to our client before returning to the village. The maximum mission time was to be two to three weeks tops. When we arrived I instructed my students to comb the village and try to locate Shinobu Daiki as a training exercise. We were closing in when your forces raided the party and arrested my student."

Gai leaned back, his arms folded across his broad chest. "That is our short story. I would like to hear yours."

Lt. Hiroto had finally managed to gather his wit and collect himself enough to give a composed reply. "Like I said before, we're close. In a matter of days we'll be in a position to take out the entire gang in one swoop."

"How?"

"Over the years we've been slowly gathering information on the Hatchet Boyz. Who they are, where they live, what they do for the gang. We learned their businesses, their stashes, where they get their drugs from, who they get it from. We kept this information a close secret. If we shut them down one at a time, they'd just pop up again further down the road, smarter and more knowledgeable. So we bided our time, and kept on collecting information. We eventually managed to slip one of our agents into the gang, and for the last three or so years he's been passing us information."

Hiroto leaned forward, prompting Gai to follow suit. "About a month ago he contacted us about a gathering. Says it's the opportunity we've been waiting for. Damn near every single Hatchet Boy in Otafuku Gai will be there, including Daiki himself. A few others, including our guy, will be stationed at a specific houses and businesses at the same time."

"What kind of gathering are you talking about?" Gai asked.

"It's supposed to be some kind of celebration. Presumably the anniversary of the day the gang was founded. These guys aren't the sentimental types, but even to them this is big."

"And you plan to target them during this party." Gai guessed.

"Exactly." Hiroto grinned crookedly. "The biggest problem is that the party'll be taking place in a warehouse over in the merchant quarter. That's all the way on the other side of town. There's no way we can just march right in and arrest them; there are too many gang safe houses and business between us. As soon as a ganger in one of those places sees us, they'll haul ass and warn Daiki. They'll scatter and it'll be damn near impossible to catch them all in the chaos. So we plan to quietly raid each business on the way, silence them, then move in on the warehouse itself."

Gai blinked and leaned back thoughtfully. Take out the sentries quietly, then converge on the main target, surrounding it on all sides to prevent escape. It was a pretty solid plan.

"It sounds good." He said, nodding along. "But we need to make sure both our interests are satisfied."

"How so?" Hiroto asked, a crease between his eyebrows.

"My two other students and I will assist you in shutting down the businesses and safe houses around the town. In return, my student which you have in custody will be released so she can attempt to secure an invite to the party. We need her there to keep an eye on Daiki. If he tries to escape for any reason, she will be able to capture him. Once the gang has been detained, we will take Daiki and leave."

Hiroto rose from his chair. "Now hold on a-"

"This is not negotiable, Lt. Hiroto." Gai interjected firmly, pinning the man with a steely gaze. "Shinobu Daiki is our target. Do not forget we are assisting you out of mere courtesy."

Hiroto refused to give up. He pressed his hands flat against the desk, leaning over it. "Shinobu Daiki is our _key target_! He's the one that started it all! We need him for the trials!"

"That is unfortunate, but I'm sure you'll do just as well using the evidence you have already gathered as well as the testimony of your man on the inside." Gai folded his arms, unyielding.

Hiroto glared at him for several heated seconds before letting out an aggravated sigh and dropping back down into his chair. He rubbed his temples tiredly. "Fine." He consented. "You can take Daiki, but only_ after_ the rest of the gang is rounded up."

"That's fair."

"As for the girl I'd suggest we keep her in the cells for the full seventy-two hours to avoid raising suspicion. Once she gets out, finding Hibiki and convincing him to invite her to the party will be her job."

Gai chuckled and stood from his chair. "Never fear. That girl has a strange way of getting what she needs. She'll be at that party. Now, I must return to my students. Oh! I also expect her information in your database will be deleted?"

"I'll see to it personally as soon as she's out the door." Hiroto assured him.

Gai nodded his thanks and stepped back into the shadows without another word. It took Hiroto a few seconds of silence to realise that he was alone. Leaning back in his chair with a weary sigh he lay his head back and closed his eyes as he considered his unexpected alliance.

He cursed a few seconds later when he realised the ninja hadn't even given him his name.

* * *

It was late evening the very next day when a tired, dirty, and above all, cranky Naruko staggered into their hotel room. Lee, Gai, and Neji were already waiting for her, boxes of fresh take-out spread out on the floor. She exhaustedly scooped one up, uncaring of what it was as long as it was hot, and flopped down face first onto her bed. She sighed blissfully as the stiffness from sleeping on bare concrete ebbed from her body. Flopping onto her back, she tore open the box and took out the rice and crackers it contained before digging in with vigour.

Neji nose crinkled distastefully and he turned away from her slightly. "You stink." He said bluntly.

Naruko glared at him even as she continued to tear into the rice with very little grace. "You try sitting in a cage for three days surrounded by a hundred other people with no shower and see how you smell, pretty-boy." Seventy-two hours of incarceration had taken its toll on her patience and so she had little of it to waste on her aloft team mate.

Neji sat back slightly, his eyebrows raised in surprise, obviously not expecting a retort.

Gai interjected before an argument could start. "That's enough. Naruko, it's good to see you out of there. The Prefect raid was unexpected, but it may have worked out in our favour." He proceeded to tell them about his meeting with Lt. Hiroto and the subsequent deal they made.

"So that's why they changed their tune with me so quickly." Naruko said, laying back on her bed, her arms behind her head. The empty rice bowl sat on the floor beside the bed. "They went from calling me a drug dealer to acting all kind and polite so fast I didn't know what to think. Still, they shouldn't have tried to stick those charges on me."

"I agree, but it's understandable considering how close they are to getting rid of the gang, and how desperate they are to see these criminals gone." Gai pointed out.

"So we have a plan to capture Shinobu then?" Neji asked from where he sat on his own bed, his legs crossed Indian-style as he leaned against the wall. He was already in his sleepwear, as was Lee.

"Yes. You, Lee, and I will be assisting the Prefect squads as they raid each business and safe house in the town. Naruko will try to find Hibiki and secure herself an invite to this party. While there, you are to keep an eye on Daiki until we arrive. The Otafuku Gai Prefects will be stretched to their limit trying to raid the locations quickly enough to progress onto the warehouse itself, so it might be a while until we arrive." Gai cautioned.

Naruko nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem. Just sit back and keep an eye on Daiki, right?"

"Yes, but remember, you'll be heading into the lion's den by doing this." Gai warned her seriously. "You'll be surrounded by the worst criminals the town has to offer, some of whom have no scruples about beating or even killing another human being just because. If anything should happen just remember your training. If you can, grab Daiki and get out of there, but if you can't then try to hold them off until we arrive. Still, don't take any unnecessary risks. I'd much prefer a failed mission than a dead student."

Naruko's lips quirked slightly at the look of concerned compassion on the eccentric man's face. "I'll be fine, sensei." She assured him softly. Suddenly, she grimaced and rose from the bed gingerly. She made her way towards the shower, grabbing her own sleepwear as she passed. "S'cuse me. I spent three days in that hole and, as Neji chose to point out, I need a shower. _Badly_."

* * *

Hibiki sat at his usual table in the Old Bull bar. His friends surrounded him, but he was in no mood to join in with their drunken banter tonight. He sat hunched over the table, staring into the dark liquid of his whisky. He needed something stronger than his usual after putting up with that damn Hiroto and his lapdogs for three days straight. They'd kept him in because they wanted to 'get all the facts straight' or so they said. He rolled his eyes at the notion. Hiroto was getting to be too big of a pain in the ass these days. Maybe it was time to talk to Daiki about removing that particular pain…

He sighed, shaking his head. Grabbing his drink, he threw it back, relishing in the hot burn in his oesophagus when a voice spoke up from over his shoulder.

"That stuff will rot your insides with the way you keep tossing it back."

Hibiki dropped the glass to the dirty table and twisted in his seat. An honest, and albeit a bit goofy, smile graced his young features when he saw the ever impassive Naruko leaning against the side of the booth, a drink held lightly in her hand.

"Naruko!" He cried jovially as he bounced from his chair to greet her. Apparently this was not a good idea when you've been cuddling up with whisky for the last hour or so, and he stumbled slightly. Naruko reached out and caught his arm before he could keel over. "Thank you."

"No problem." She regarded him closely for a few seconds. "You look like Hell." She stated bluntly.

Hibiki blushed and chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Still in a bad mood from his unlawful (In his eyes) incarceration, he hadn't felt much like ironing clothes. He'd just showered and tossed on the cleanest set he had for tonight, and so they were a little ruffled.

"It's been a long day." He diverted expertly.

She snorted. "Tell me about it."

There was a short silence between them, punctuated only by the pounding sounds of the bar around them. One red eyebrow arched. "Aren't you going to offer me a seat?"

Hibiki blinked and without looking, reached behind him and yanked one of his friends out of his chair, causing him to accidentally spill his drink all over himself.

"Ack! Hibiki, what the Hell, man?"

"I need the booth."

"So what? I was sitting here, damn it!"

"Don't care. Go away. All of you."

The disgruntled Hatchet Boyz trooped out of the small booth, throwing dark glares in Naruko's direction as they lumbered over to the bar. What ever happened to 'Bro's before Ho's'?

Although, now that they got a good look at her, they couldn't really blame him. Lucky bastard…

"You have the heart of a true leader, Hibiki." Naruko snarked as she slid into the padded booth across from the gang lieutenant. She leaned back, sipping her soda.

"They just need a heavy hand to help guide them along." Hibiki waved her off. In a slightly more subdued voice he asked, " So what happened to you after the raid?"

Naruko frowned and shook her head. "For some bizarre reason they thought that I was the one that sold the drugs at the party. They kept me in a cell for three days before I could convince them that it wasn't me."

Hibiki grimaced in sympathy and took a sip of his whisky. "That sucks. Your sensei must have been pissed."

Briefly Naruko panicked, wondering how he could possibly know about Gai before remembering her cover story. "He was. He doesn't even know I'm out tonight. I was supposed to stay in the hotel until we leave." She covered nicely.

"Ain't you the little rebel!" Hibiki laughed approvingly.

"So what happened to you?"

"Pretty much the same thing. Kept me locked in an overcrowded cage all weekend, asking me about stuff that had nothing to do with the party! They kept trying to connect me with some assault and battery charges from a while back, so I just said "Hey! You cuffed me for suspected using and distribution, so either prove I did it or let me go!". Eventually they realised they couldn't do anything to me and let me go." He took a sip of his drink. "Wish they'd have done it sooner. Wasted an entire weekend in that place."

"That's the same as what happened to me." She gave him a level look. "Apparently being arrested with you is bad for your reputation. They thought that since I was with you I was definitely up to something.

Hibiki winced at the hidden barb and looked chagrined. "Yeah, sorry about that. Those damn Prefects have had it out for me and my brother since we were in diapers."

"Somehow I doubt you did very much to change their image of you." Naruko said dryly.

"Hey, I'm the innocent one here! I didn't do anything!"

She gave him a blank look.

"…okay, maybe there _might _be some truth to _some _of the things they say about me, but I'm not as bad as they make me out to be. Honest!"

"Mmmhmm." Naruko drawled slowly, sipping her drink.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth!" Hibiki laughed.

"And I believe you."

"Then what's with that look?"

"What look?"

"The one you're giving me right now."

"I'm not giving you any look, you're just paranoid."

Now it was Hibiki's turn to look sceptical, but he let it go. The conversation moved onto other things, mostly about their lives running the streets. Hibiki regaled her with the tale of the time he and his brother got caught stealing crates of extremely expensive wine from the mayor's wine cellar, and Naruko even divulged the story about the embarrassing time she'd accidentally let a client's adventurous pet ferret loose which proceeded to lead her on a merry chase around the village before she finally caught and returned it.

It wasn't until early the next morning when the bar was emptying of its last few patrons when Hibiki broached the topic she'd been waiting for.

"Hey, Naruko?" He slurred. He'd gotten a little carried away with his drink intake and was now swaying as he stood, his eyes bleary and unfocused.

"Hm?" She asked, walking alongside his stumbling form. She'd strictly stuck to soda the entire night and apart from some exhaustion and the fact that her butt was asleep she was perfectly fine.

"We got thish thing later. Thish par'y thing. You know, down at the warehoushes? It'sh on… uh… Shaturday. Is it Shaturday? Naw, it'sh on Sunday! Sunday! That'sh it. It'sh a big par'y! Ev'rybody's gonna be there! All tha' Hatshet Boyz is gonna be there! It'sh gonna be like… like _the_ par'y. You know? Wuz wonderin' if… if…" He snapped his fingers repeatedly as he tried to remember the right words he needed.

"If I wanted to come to the party?"

"Yeah, that'sh it! So, uh… yeah, um… you wanna?"

Naruko glanced at him out of the side of her eye as they left the Old Bull bar. "You know what, Hibiki? I might just do that."

* * *

Now that she had her invite to the gang's party of the year all Naruko had to do was sit back and wait as the plans for the Prefect's last offensive against the Hatchet Boyz were finalized. For the rest of the week she and her team stayed holed up in their hotel room making their own preparations for Daiki's capture and transportation. Gai made frequent trips to meet with Lt. Hiroto for updates, which he relayed to his students. It had already been decided that Gai, Lee, and Neji would split up and go with separate task forces to take out as many targets as they could, as quickly and as quietly as possible. When that was done, all the Prefects and the three ninja would surround the warehouse, to which Naruko had already provided the address, and arrest all within. While all this was going on, Naruko herself would be inside the warehouse keeping an eye on Daiki. She'd been warned that with their numbers stretched so thin there would be no one to keep an eye on her. She'd be in the lion's den with no way out until the Prefects shut down all the other properties. Naruko assured them she'd be fine and the matter was forgotten.

It was on the eve of the party that Gai found his sole female subordinate missing from her room where her team mates were performing a few last minute checks of their weapons. A quick search led him to the roof of the hotel where he found her sitting on the edge, staring out at the twinkling lights of Otafuku Gai's club district.

Gai slowly approached her and leaned on the edge beside her. "Is there something on your mind, Naruko?"

The normally blunt girl glanced at him before returning her gaze to the neon lights blazing across town. She opened her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. She looked conflicted about something. Gai said nothing, giving her time to compose her thoughts.

They finally came out in the form of a low, shameful whisper. "I don't know if I can do it, Gai-sensei."

Gai's face remained carefully impassive, not that she saw it as she never once glanced at him after she spoke. "You don't know if you can do what, Naruko?" He asked softly.

She ran a hand through her short red locks, a sign Gai had come to associate with Naruko when she was having difficulty understanding something.

"I don't… know if I can go to the party tomorrow. I don't know if I can… sell out Hibiki."

"And why don't you think you wouldn't be able to do it, Naruko? You would be removing a dangerous criminal from the streets. Removing many dangerous criminals from the street even. That's something to be proud of."

"I know." She sighed tiredly. "But these last few nights… talking and joking with Hibiki… it was almost like what I'd imagined having a friend was like."

"Naruko…"

She continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "I've never had a friend before. Back in Konoha, everyone avoided me like a plague. At the orphanage all the kids avoided me for some reason or another. When I left, there was no one to talk to. Everyone I met just gave me these looks. As if I was diseased or did something terrible or something. Eventually I just stopped trying."

Her tone softened slightly. "But it was different when I started to talk to Hibiki and his friends. They accepted me, no questions asked. We joked around, had fun, talked. Normal stuff. Except it's not so normal for me. Did you know that party was the first time I've ever been near a large group of people where no one glared at me, or muttered stuff behind my back? It was… nice. Better than nice even. They just smiled and acted like we'd known each other for years. They didn't say a word against me; didn't tell me to go away, or throw something at me, or shout, or swear, or-" She broke off suddenly, her head bowed. "I'm sorry, sensei."

Gai let out a long, slow sigh as he hoisted himself up on the ledge to sit beside her. The teen sat, leaning on her knees, staring at the dark street many stories below, dark red strands shielding her face from view. He clasped his hands before him and stared out at the town laid before them.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Naruko. I was so excited about you taking such initiative in your first big mission that I forgot that you didn't have the benefit of a full academy education like Neji, Lee, and I. If you did then you would have received special lessons to help you avoid such attachment to your targets. It's understandable that you don't want to betray the trust of people who have treated you well, especially given the life you've had. It didn't even occur to me until this morning that you may be having doubts or seconds thoughts. That's why I procured this from Lt. Hiroto."

Naruko watched as Gai pulled a slightly rumpled Prefect file from his equipment pouch. He flattened it out before handing it to her. Taking it, she flipped it open to find the picture of a younger, more grubby looking Hibiki staring right back at her.

"Hibiki's arrest file." She commented. Gai wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement and remained silent as her eyes scanned the file.

She allowed her eyes to drift over the personal information and head straight for the criminal record. It was not short. Continuing onto the next page, there was a long list of crimes that he'd either been accused of, suspected of, or arrested for. There were quite a few robberies listed, mostly near the top of the list, but as she read on she noticed that they gave way to much more serious crimes like arson, drug supply, and assault. She neared the bottom of the second page when her eyes stopped on one particular offence.

Attempted murder.

Apparently, he'd been accused, but there hadn't been enough evidence to go to court so the case was dropped. But that wasn't what drew her attention. It was the picture that had been included in the file.

"The man's name is Mizuriki Gendo." Gai said softly as she held the small celluloid in her hands. "Hibiki attacked him sometime last year. He was outside his home, taking down Christmas decorations from his house when Hibiki snuck up on him - beat him with a crowbar. Gendo's wife found him in a pool of his own blood. I won't indulge you with the grizzly details, but to this day Gendo hasn't been out of bed and has to rely on a machine to help him talk and breath."

Gai's voice was just a small murmur in the background, but somehow Naruko heard every word as she took in the man's wounds. There wasn't a single inch of the poor man's head that wasn't hidden by great purple bruises, swollen beyond belief, caved in, or cut open. In fact, if it hadn't been for the single, pain-filled eye staring morosely back at whoever took the picture, Naruko would have never have believed that this was someone's face. She shook her head, eyes never leaving that of the brutalized man. Those were terrible wounds. And Hibiki was the cause.

Gai leaned closer, his voice gentle. "This is why we do what we do. This is why we fight to rid the world of un-Youthful people like the Shinobu brothers. For all their kindness and friendliness when they are around others they perceive are like them, they can be viciously cruel to those who don't share their views. Hibiki may have been kind to you, but he is first and foremost a selfish and violent person who will always put himself and his need before others, and attack any who stand in his way. He is a dangerous man, and the world and everyone in it will be far better off with him and his ilk gone."

Naruko remained silent, her eyes fixated on the picture, but Gai knew she was listening. Her thumb traced one of the scars on the man's face, a particularly vicious one that ran along his jaw, as her other hand gripped the file tight.

"How do you do it, sensei?" She asked, finally breaking from the snapshot to look him in the eye. For once her eyes weren't the disinterested, blank pools they usually were, but were filled with deep longing for an answer. "How do you decide who's wrong and who's right? It can't be as simple as good and evil, can it?"

Gai looked down with a heavy sigh. "It's never that simple. Save for a very few people, no one is truly good or evil. There are hundreds of factors involved for each person, and it would take a lifetime to figure out just one. Some ninja cope with the choice differently. Some like to categorize people and believe that all bandits _must_ be vile thieves and rapists; that all clients _must_ have good, wholesome reasons for wanting a particular person assassinated; or that all foreign ninja _must_ be hateful enemies that can never be trusted. Others like to reserve judgement and withhold their opinion until they have more information so they can decide accordingly. It's a far more difficult choice, but it can leave you with a far cleared conscience. Still, there are those few who decide to abandon all reason and simply become killing machines, slaughtering anyone they are told to. So you need to make a choice. Will you label a person depending on first appearances, judge each person individually, or shut yourself off from all outside reasoning and execute your duty in the simplest, most straightforward way possible?"

Taking a deep, calming breath through her nose, Naruko's head rose to stare up at the near cloudless sky hanging heavily above them. The millions of twinkling stars dotted across the inky heavens in a random, but beautiful spatter. The fat, full moon was a tiny bright ball that gave off a ghostly glow, bathing the town and the surrounding countryside in a pale light. It was quite peaceful tonight.

'_Like the calm before the storm.'_ Naruko mused.

Ice blue eyes closed as the faint, cool breeze brushed her hair. All in all it was a simple choice. Would she label people based on speculation and popular thinking? Would she decide that a particular person must act in a particular way because that's what the crowd believed? Would she follow the herd, or forge her own path?

She snorted very softly. It was a simple choice. She didn't even need to think about her answer.

Gai watched as Naruko's eyes slowly opened again, still staring up at the twinkling cosmos high above them. She seemed much more relaxed than he had a moment ago, and there was a curious flitting about her lips, as if she were in on some private joke. The tension that he hadn't even known he'd had in his shoulders eased, and he found himself smiling too. She'd found her answer.

"Well, Naruko?" He prompted. "What will you do?"

"I think," She answered slowly, musingly. "That I'd rather give people the benefit of the doubt. All my life people have cursed me, avoided me, and hated me because of what they _think_ I am. When I have to decide whether or not a person is good or evil, I'd rather look at their _intentions _ratherthan their deeds themselves. A person can do bad things for a good reason, and good things for a bad reason. I know that better than anyone."

She held up the folder in her hand. "Hibiki was kind to me. But all his life he's only ever did things for himself. He committed dozens of crimes for no other reason than because he wanted to. Oh, I'm sure that in the beginning he only did most of those things to survive on the streets. But at some point that need became desire. He _wanted_ to steal, and fight, and lie. He didn't need to do it anymore, but he still did because he wanted to. No matter how kind he was to me, that doesn't erase the fact that he's done some terrible things."

She rose to her feet and stretched, her back popping from having been sat so long on the ledge. She looked down at her sensei, the winds of the night air pulling at her clothes and hair. "I'll always remember the small amount of friendship Hibiki showed me. But won't let him or his friends hurt someone else."

Gai was beaming, proud as anything. He stood and rested a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "That, my student, is the best possible answer you could have ever given me. Never loose your faith in people, Naruko, it's a rare and precious thing in a ninja's life. As long as you never let anyone else think for you, you'll never be led astray." Gai's chest swelled with emotion, so much so that it looked liked he might burst. "YOSH! YOUR YOUTHFUL DECLERATION HAS EXHILERATED ME, NARUKO! COME! WE SHALL PERFORM SEVERAL DOZEN VICTORY LAPS AROUND THE TOWN SO THAT OTHERS MAY GAZE IN AWE AT OUR MAGNIFICENT FLAMES OF YOTHFUL DEDICATION!"

"KEEP IT DOWN, YOU MORON, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"Came a loud, sleepy, and thoroughly annoyed voice from one of the apartments below them.

Naruko choked back a laugh and quickly hopped down off of the ledge, a very red faced Gai joining her a moment later. He quickly guided her towards the door to the roof's stairwell. "Uh, on second thought, we should leave that for another time. We'll all need our strength for tomorrow!"

They soon reached their rooms and Naruko was about to open the door to the one she shared with Neji and Lee when Gai's more serious voice gave her pause.

"Naruko? You know you're not alone anymore, don't you?"

Blinking, she turned to look at her sensei who was giving her that same tender look he sported during his less boisterous moments with his team.

She threw him a small, lazy, but heartfelt grin. "I know, Gai-sensei."

* * *

The next twenty-four hours passed in a blurry haze, and before they knew it, Team Gai split, the males heading for the Prefect headquarters, and Naruko for the slums of Otafuku Gai where she would meet up with Hibiki.

Gai had warned her that it would be a while before they managed to hit all the chosen targets, and that she would be alone with no way of contacting them for at least a few hours. She kept this in mind, as well as his words of comfort and trust. Donning a short brown leather jacket over her top, she left the hotel and made her way to the Old Bull bar where she'd arraigned to meet up with Hibiki.

He was already there when she arrived, waiting with a group of his friends; fellow Hatchet Boyz if the black denim vests were anything to go by. She recognised a few of them from the party and nodded as they called out greetings at her approach.

"Hey, you made it." Hibiki said happily. He was dressed to impress tonight, with his hair spiked, a new set of expensive looking clothes, and the slightest hint of cologne. For his young age and rough demeanour, he cut a rather dashing figure.

"Wouldn't have missed this for the world." She said smoothly. Her talk with Gai remained firmly in her mind, and she forced herself to fight down most of the happiness and guilt she felt seeing him again.

"Oh yeah, you'd never wanna miss tonight, believe me!" The older teen laughed in excitement. In his hand he already held a beer, and she could see the others had their own bottles in their hands or stuffed into their pockets or plastic bags. It seemed the party had started early for them.

She'd walked with the drunken, bawdy group, watching as they laughed, joked, argued, and annoyed each other. She'd even thrown in a comment or two, mostly sarcastic one-liners, but apparently her timing was spot on because they had the group howling with laughter.

It wasn't long before the apartment buildings around them gave way to the large, dark and empty forms of warehouses. Rows and rows of the giant buildings sat in organised lines, with the skeletal forms of tall cranes looming over them in the gloom. The place was deserted, with not a soul in sight. The distance from any sound gave it the uncomfortable feel of a graveyard.

Naruko raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You sure this is the right place?"

Hibiki snorted and took a sip of his beer. "Course I'm sure. I was the one that picked it in the first place."

He led the group over to a particular warehouse. It was as dark and silent as the rest of the buildings, but Naruko could feel a particular vibration radiating through the ground. It was fast, rhythmic, and pulsing, yet there was no sound or movement to explain its existence.

"What is that?" She wondered aloud.

Stopping before the tall sliding door, Hibiki threw her a crooked grin over his shoulder. "That, my dear, is the sound of life."

He threw the door open, and they were nearly blasted off their feet at the tsunami of stimulation that assaulted their eyes and ears.

The entire inside of the warehouse, which looked like it had once been a factory of some sort if the large abandoned machinery was anything to go by, had been transformed into a slumtown bar or club. Strobe lights pulsed and blinked wildly to the frantic pounding blazing from massive speaker systems, their beams visible in the smoke wafting from a smoke machine. Sofas and cheap tables had been scattered all over the place, and everywhere they looked they could see people twisting to the beat, some decked out in gang colours, others not. Craning her neck, Naruko could see that the windows had been painted out, with heavy black curtains draped over them, ensuring that no light escaped. By the padding on the walls she could only guess that the building was soundproofed too, explaining why she hadn't heard or seen anything to suggest that this wasn't anything other than an innocent warehouse. A long bar had been erected in the centre of the building, and there was what looked to be an office overlooking the entire floor from an upper gantry.

"Holy…" Naruko was at a loss for words.

Hibiki laughed in delight at her reaction. "Like it?" He threw an arm around her shoulders, sweeping the other out to encompass the scene before her. "_This_ is how Hatchet Boyz party." He tossed her a brave wink. "Trust me, this will be a night you'll never forget."

Tossing him a slightly dazed glance, she muttered, "Somehow I don't think I'll have a problem remembering tonight, Hibiki."

Finding her comment strange, but otherwise meaningless, Hibiki pulled her into the party, leading the charge towards the bar with his friends following. The large sliding door they entered from was sealed, shutting them inside, and blocking them off from all that was going on in the outside world.

Hibiki pushed and shoved his way towards the bar, calling out and waving to the many that shouted their greetings. Apparently he was quite popular; something to be expected from the lieutenant of a major street gang. Finally reaching the bar, he shouted out orders for the whole group, which were quickly served up. Naruko was a little dubious at the vodka mixer she'd gotten, but took it nonetheless. She'd only take tiny sips whenever someone's attention was fixed on her. Lowered cognitive function was the last thing she'd want tonight.

Hibiki was taking a hearty sip from his lager when a shout came from behind them.

"Hibiki, you little bastard!"

With a wide grin, said bastard spun and embraced the man that had insulted him, laughing heartily. Patting the man on the back, Hibiki held him at arm's length. "Daiki, you miserable excuse of a brother! Party's a riot, eh?"

A snort. "I'll say. You should have been a party planner instead of a ganger, you'd have been more successful!"

Hibiki slugged him in the shoulder. "You're just jealous, prick, I just know what people like! It's what makes me the popular brother."

"Obviously, if you're new friend is anything to go by." Dark brown eyes glanced over at the girl at his brother's side. "You wouldn't expect someone like this to be cutting around with you, Hibiki."

"You're an utter bastard, you know that right?"

"It's one of my many charms, but you've yet to make an introduction."

Hibiki snorted and shook his head, but complied anyway. "Daiki, this is Uzumaki Naruko. She's visiting over from Tanzaku Gai. Naruko, this worthless deadbeat is what I'm forced to call my brother and, as he likes to constantly remind people, the leader of the Hatchet Boyz, Shinobu Daiki."

"Charmed." The elder Shinobu gave her a lazy half-nod.

"Likewise." The girl nodded back just as lazily. _'So this is the guy we're here to catch.'_

She'd been observing him since the moment Hibiki had embraced him. Standing just a tad taller than his little brother, Shinobu Daiki personified the bad boy stereotype. Dark brown hair, spiked like his brothers, had been bleached blonde at the tips. His Hatchet Boyz vest was covered in patches, and the inside had been lined with expensive looking crème fur, as had the wide collar that had been added to make it stand out more. He was bare-chested, revealing toned chest and abs, as well as the number of tattoos that decorated his upper body. A silver chain jangled from where it hung on low, dark jeans. Daiki's hands were covered in rings, and there was a black screw earring through the lobe of his left ear.

All in all, he looked like the very last thing any parent wanted their daughter bringing home to dinner.

"So, Hibiki, heard you ran into some trouble with Hiroto." Daiki commented as he took a drag from an expensive looking cigar. The man was obviously not strapped for cash.

Hibiki glowered as he leaned back against the bar. "Yeah. Senile old fart. Tried to nail me for stuff that happened years ago. Held me all weekend 'cause of it. Naruko too."

"Really?" Daiki glanced over the hot redhead. She definitely had an edge to her alright. "What did they try and hang on you?"

"They liked the idea that I was the one selling the drugs at the party." Naruko shrugged, taking a small sip of her drink. "It was Hibiki's fault."

"H-Hey!"

Daiki chuckled. "I like you already. So they didn't pin you with anything?"

"I'm standing here, aren't I?" Naruko held her hands out.

"Yeah, you are." The low, calculating way he said it caused her to tense, but he turned away from her without further comment.

"I'm sitting with Shanks and Ozozo. Make sure to come talk to them sometime tonight, they've got some quality product." He patted his little brother on the shoulder before wandering over to a small grouping of abused couches, a wooden board balanced on top of a few crates acting as a makeshift table, already covered with bottles. Two girls, twins, wearing as little clothing as was decent in public draped themselves over him as he sat down.

"Seems nice." Naruko muttered to Hibiki.

He snorted turning back to the bar. "You don't know him. Daiki has three settings: irritating, annoying, and scary. But somehow I've managed to go this long without killing him, so he must be doing something right."

She was about to say something when another shout cut her off.

"Little 'Biki! How ya' been?"

"Oh God…" Hibiki gave a long-suffering groan into his drink, his face a mask of resigned dejection.

"What's wrong?" She asked, surprised at the sudden downtrodden look. In the brief time she'd known him, Hibiki hadn't been one to let others get him down.

"You're about to meet the biggest pain in the ass that should have wound up as a stain on his mother's bed sheet."

"Hey man!" A loud, booming voice bellowed from behind them. A meaty had clapped Hibiki on the back none too gently, causing him to buck forward against the bar. It was a good thing he'd set his lager down, otherwise they'd have been soaked.

With a weary sigh, Hibiki greeted the newcomer. "Hello, Kenta."

Naruko glanced over her shoulder at the newcomer, then did a double-take, her eyebrows threatening to shot off up into the stratosphere. With wide eyes, she stared up at the _bloody bear_ that had decided to wander into the party and swat Hibiki. And looking at the size of those mitts, it was a miracle the poor boy's spine was still intact. The stranger wasn't so much barrel-chested as he was wagon-chested. The striking resemblance to a bear was only strengthened by the fact that most of the man seemed to be covered in a thick layer of hair, from his bare torso (Save for his vest, of course), to his stubble coated jaw and the long, twisted main of hair that tumbled town and over a face that looked as if it had been carved straight from granite. She actually gulped when she saw his bicep. She she'd seen thinner trees.

She turned back towards the bar. She had a strong feeling she didn't want to be drawn into this conversation.

"Heard you got picked up by Hiroto's goons. Spent the weekend in the bullpens did ya'? Hope your bunkmate was kind to you."

Hibiki gave the giant a tight smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Kenta, I can take care of myself. Now, since that's out of the way, is there any reason why you're over here stealing oxygen?"

Kenta clicked his tongue. "Hey now, why'd you go and say something like that for? I was just trying to show my concern, is all. I thought we we're all family here."

"Kenta, if this gang were a family, you'd be the retarded cousin that no one can stand."

Kenta's dark eyes narrowed, yet he kept his twisted grin. He leaned down a little until he could better look Hibiki in the eye. To his credit, Hibiki didn't look the slightest bit fazed at the significant difference in size, and sipped his lager comfortably as he stared down the giant.

"I've got to say, Hibiki, your manners are a bit lax tonight, eh? I mean I take the time to come over here, show my concern, make sure you're alright, and what to I get in return but some serious hostility. You need to learn some respect, brother." He tugged on the material of Hibiki's vest. "You're a lieutenant, man, you gotta set an example. You haven't even introduced me to your friend here." His eyes roamed over the back of Naruko's body, appreciating the view.

Naruko shuddered in disgust. She could actually feel his eyes on her. She sipped her drink, the burn of the alcohol washing away the feeling for a few moments at least.

"Naruko; Kenta. Kenta; Naruko." He'd concede the oaf this if only to make him leave quicker.

"_Naruko_, huh?" He spoke as if tasting the name on his tongue. His grin became even more twisted as he stared at the girl who'd yet to turn around. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Cheers." She grunted disinterestedly, staring firmly ahead.

"There, you've met her. Now you can leave." Hibiki said.

"There you go with that attitude again." Kenta shook his head disapprovingly. "Seriously, brother, I'm trying to have a nice, civil conversation with _Naruko_ here, and you just barge right on in. Remember what I said about you learning some manners? Keep it up and I might teach you some myself. It might make you as good a lieutenant as me someday." He rested a hand on the smaller man's shoulder, speaking as if they were dear old friends.

Hibiki batted the massive mitt away. "Don't lecture me about being a lieutenant. You may go around parading that vest off and shouting your place as a gang lieutenant, but we all know you only got that far because you've been Daiki's best friend since we were kids." He tapped his temple with a finger. "You don't have the brains required. Face it, Kenta, as far as everyone here is concerned you're just another knuckle dragging, deadbeat bruiser."

Kenta lost his smile, and his face clouded over with fury. He leaned close, his yellowing, mismatched teeth bared. His voice came out as a low, thunderous growl. "You'd better watch your mouth, you little shit, before I take these knuckles I've been dragging and dead_beat_ you to a bloody fuckin' pulp. You get off on sayin' I ain't the real deal, but you still go around ordering people around like _you're_ the boss? Get the fuck out. You're still just the same little tagalong that used to trail after Daiki like a little lost pup."

Hibiki gave the large brute a glare that could cut diamonds. In a low voice, he ground out, "Leave, Kenta, before you start something we'll both regret."

The massive Hatchet Boy snorted, but backed off. Grabbing a bear from the barman, he stomped off through the crowd.

Naruko watched him go then looked at Hibiki. "Now _he _wasn't so nice."

Hibiki had a sour look on his face. "That was Kenta. Biggest piece of crap you'll find anywhere. Only reason he's made it this long is because he's too stupid to understand the concept of dying."

"You didn't seem too thrilled to see him." She commented, rolling the ice around in her glass.

Hibiki turned back to the bar and drained the last of his lager. Wiping his mouth, he set it down. "Hate him. Hated since we we're kids, and I'll most likely hate him long after he's gone. Can't wait for that day, let me tell you."

She watched him as he glowered into his newest drink, which had just been set down by the bartender. Deciding that she didn't want to wait for the raid in such a tense atmosphere, she bumped his shoulder with her fist. "Hey, what happened to Mr. Life-of-the-Party? Wasn't this whole thing your doing?"

Hibiki glanced at her, and snorted. Taking a calming dreg of his lager, he turned to her, a new smile on his face. "Okey doke, then let's find something interesting to do. I hereby challenge you to a game that requires great cunning, skill, and a good bit of luck. It is the game of kings and champions everywhere, and can win you a nice sum of cash if you're a gambling woman."

"And just what might this 'game of kings' be?"

"Pool of course."

He should have known better. That party last week was warning enough that he shouldn't challenge Naruko to any form of competitive gambling. But _noooo_! He had to go and make up some stupid master plan to bolster her image of him. It was simple; he'd take her money via the game, then, being the nice guy that he was, he'd buy her drinks for the rest of the night, thus making him appear all sweet and generous in her eyes. If the situation played out well and he was lucky enough, then tonight could be the night that they sealed the deal. Yep, that was the plan…

Three painfully short games later and Hibiki found himself glaring at the table, which was empty save for a few balls which were unfortunately his own. His wallet was quite a bit lighter too. At his side, leaning with her chin perched on the tip of her cue, was Naruko. She still had that strange lazy/disinterested look that she somehow made so sexy set firmly in place, but that didn't stop him from feeling the aura of smugness that was practically _oozing _off of her. This was not how the plan was supposed to go.

Checking his glass and finding it empty, he decided he needed to get plastered while he still had the money to do so. At least if any of the guys found out he'd lost all his money to a girl, he could blame it on the booze. "I'll get the next round." He stated, scooping up their glasses.

"Sure you have enough?" Naruko smirked.

"Shut up and set the damn balls, woman. I can still win my money back."

"How long will that take? More importantly, how long can you keep matching my wagers?"

"…shut up."

Watching him swiftly, yet stiffly move away, Naruko snickered and shook her head. She'd been plundering his wallet for the past two hours already, and she'd amassed quite a pretty sum if she did say so herself. Between the money she'd won arm wrestling, the money Hibiki was basically giving her, and the money she could expect from this mission, she wouldn't have to worry about being strapped for cash any time soon. She set about racking up the balls again. Dusting the tip of her cue with the little blue cube of chalk, she leaned over the table and took aim, ready to break. She was just judging the amount of power she should put behind the hit when she felt a presence close behind her. "Don't even think about messing up my shot, Hibiki."

"Sorry, babe, wrong lieutenant."

Startled, she spun only to find Kenta's massive form towering over her. She tried to put some distance between them, but the pool table blocked her off. Kenta leaned closer and rested his hands on the table at either side of her, cutting off all possible escape routes. This close the stench of sake, cheap cologne, and sweat was even stronger. She wrinkled her nose at the musk. She tried to lean back again until she was practically lying on top of the table.

She scowled in annoyance and tried unsuccessfully to push him back. "What the Hell are you doing?" She demanded.

Kenta shrugged and looked thoughtful. That twisted grin from earlier was back and looking even more gruesome up close. "I'm curious. Just what makes a girl like you come to a party with a little bitch like Hibiki? I mean let's face it, the guy's a looser. You should dump him and come have some fun with me."

"I'll pass."

"Ah, come on, sweetheart, don't be that way. A pretty thing like you deserves a good time. And I know how to show the girls a damn good time." Sleaziness was dripping from every syllable that spewed from the brute's mouth.

"Go to Hell!" She glanced around to see if anyone was going to get the idiot off of her, but the few people that were paying attention didn't look like they'd be helping any time soon. In fact they looked ready for a good show.

"Eventually." Kenta shrugged. His grin widened. "But I'm going to have some fun before I get there."

"Like Hell-urgh!" She was cut off as a large hand encased her slender throat in a vice-like grip. Kenta pushed her flat on top of the table even as she struggled.

Her resistance only seemed to excite him more. "Go ahead, scream and fight all you want. It's not like anyone'll help. A little out-of-towner girl like you? No chance."

"…I'll…kill…argh!" Naruko tried to ground out the threat, but the crushing force around her windpipe made it impossible. All of Kenta's impressive weight was pinned on top of her, pinning her legs to keep her from kicking him.

Kenta chuckled a low, dirty chuckle. "I bet you'll be _real_ nice. You can tell just by looking at you. Hot and tight, just like a real girl should be." His free hand lowered and began to fumble with his belt. Naruko saw this and struggled even more furiously. "Hey now, don't fight. Maybe you'll even enjoy it? It probably won't be your first. A alley rat as fine as you? Nah, I can tell you've got experience being on your back. Is it a family thing? Was your Mama a fun-girl? If she looked anything like you I bet guys came from miles around just to feel her touch, didn't they?"

Naruko snapped.

Abandoning their previous actions of tugging at Kenta's wrists, one of her hands fisted in his long greasy hair, yanking his head back and eliciting a sharp cry of pain and anger from her would-be rapist. Her other hand clenched, the knuckle of her middle finger slightly extended to form a beaked fist. With a bestial growl of fury, she jabbed that beaked fist into his throat, just to the side of his Adam's Apple, and almost crushing his windpipe. Immediately, Kenta's hands left her throat to clutch at his own as he gagged painfully for breath. Gulping down mouthfuls of air, Naruko reared her head back and smashed her forehead against the bastard's nose, eliciting a sickening crack. Kenta reeled back from the impact and she managed to wriggle her legs free. Wasting no time, she rammed her booted feet into his face, using his head as a springboard and sending her rolling back off the table, away from him. Kenta's feet actually left the ground from the power behind the blow and he hit the concrete floor with enough force to send a small tremor through it.

The party came to a screeching halt.

Almost immediately Hibiki was at her side, a mixture of confusion and anxiety twisting his features. "What happened?" He asked sharply. Around them people began to crowd round Kenta's dazed and bleeding body, chattering wilding about what happened.

Naruko was panting. A mixture of oxygen deprivation and adrenaline was causing her lungs to burn and her heart to pound in her rib cage. She rubbed her sore throat. She knew that there would be bruising. "Bastard tried to rape me." She managed to gasp out.

"What?" Hibiki snarled furiously, rounding on Kenta who was being helped to his feet by a few fellow Hatchet Boyz. "Kenta! You boozed-up, knuckle-dragging, fucker! What the Hell were you doing?"

A hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to find his older brother standing behind him. Daiki didn't look shocked or angry. He didn't even look surprised. In fact he looked happy. No, not happy, _giddy_.

"Let me handle this, little brother." He said distractedly before sweeping past. He approached Kenta, who was only beginning to get his bearing back. Daiki peered closely at his best friend before an expression of pure delight crossed his face. He covered his mouth with his hand, and it was obvious he was barely preventing himself from bursting into laugher. "Oh my God, man!" He said, his voice shaking. "She broke your nose! She made you _bleed_!" It was too much for him and he erupted in barks of hilarity. "I can't believe that little girl _decked you_, man!" He was clutching his sides he was laughing so hard.

Kenta shook his head as the last of the stars faded from before his eyes. It slowly dawned on him what had just happened, and his face morphed into a mask of pure fury. With a roar he tried to lunge for Naruko, only to be restrained by the gangers who helped him to his feet, with no small effort on their part. "LET GO! I'M GONNA KILL THAT BITCH!" He was bellowing.

"Sure that's a good idea?" Daiki asked, a wide grin in his face. He obviously thought the whole situation was the funniest thing he'd seen all year. He looked like Christmas had come early. "I mean she busted you up there pretty bad. Maybe it's time to think about retirement? Hey, we can give the girl your spot! She can take your place as the big bad bruiser lieutenant!"

The mounting rage on Kenta's face conveyed his thoughts on the matter even better than his next words. "Fuck you, Daiki! I want that bitch's head on a damn platter! Look what she did to my face, man!"

Daiki looked at Hibiki and shrugged helplessly. His giddy expression from earlier had faded, replaced by one of impartiality. "The big guy has his pride. He's got to fight for it."

"Bro, come on!" Hibiki shouted angrily. "To Hell with that junkhead! I don't even know why you keep him around, he's a retard!"

"Stay out of this, you little shit!"

"Hey!" Daiki shouted, bringing a small measure of order to the chaos. He looked at both parties, staring them down. "Now, this is meant to be a party. That means there wasn't supposed to be any of this crap tonight. I don't know what was going on and I don't care. Either find some way to settle this right now or get the Hell out of here, 'cause if you don't-"

"Let him go."

Daiki, Hibiki, Kenta- Hell, practically everyone turned to stare at Naruko in shock, surprise, and judging by the look on Hibiki's face, horror. She was staring at the restrained giant, a look of pure vengeful intent chiselled into every contour of her angular face. Her eyes were alight with artic fire, and his knuckled cracked from the way her fists were clenched tight.

"Naruko…" Hibiki tried to reason with her, but she ignored him.

"He wants to take me on, so let him." She told Daiki, her eyes never leaving Kenta. "We'll see if he's as brave when the girl he tries to jump sees him coming."

Daiki stared at her for a moment before turning to regard Kenta, who had stopped struggling in his surprise. "That okay with you?"

Kenta blinked before a savage, bloodthirsty grin crossed his face. "Yeah, more than okay."

Hibiki grabbed Naruko's arm and tried to turn her away from Kenta but it was like trying to move a statue. "Naruko, don't be stupid!" He hissed. "Kenta's a bloody psychopath! He won't care if you're a girl or not! He'll kill you! He's done it before!"

"He can try." She said as she jerked arm away from his hand. Hibiki looked at her hopelessly as the crowd began to circle them, looking for a good fight, some even making bets, and calling out encouragement.

"Kick her ass, Kenta!"

"Go, Kenta!"

"Snap the bitch's neck, man!"

Naruko rolled her head, hearing her neck crack, and rolled her shoulders to loosen them up as she moved to stand across from Kenta. The crowd completely encased them, cutting off any escape. Not that she needed one.

Daiki stood back with the crowd, looking between the two fighters. He made a motion with his hand. "Go when you're ready."

Kenta needed no further prompting.

The bloodthirsty crowd cheered as Kenta charged forward with a roar like an angry bull, one meaty fist raised to pound the girl into dust. Unperturbed, Naruko waited until he closed the distance between them. In one fluid movement she stepped to the side and brought her foot up to smash into his face with jarring force. Kenta's feet flew out from under him and he hit the floor with enough force to shake the ground.

The crowd became silent in shock and surprise at seeing the short, lithe girl deck the biggest bastard in the gang. The cheering immediately started back up again, but with some rooting for the teen this time.

Kenta pressed a hand to his abused nose, which was already bleeding anew. With a loud snarl he lumbered to his feet, swinging wildly.

Naruko ducked under his swings, delivering three sharp body blows to his thick gut. She danced around his back as he tried to grab her and booted him in the back of the leg, sending him to his knees. Before he could recover she rammed an elbow into the side of his face, knocking him on his back again.

Kenta was frustrated at constantly being made to kiss the ground and quicker than Naruko had thought him capable of, he grabbed her ankle and tore her feet out from under her.

She grunted as her back thudded on the bare concrete, but managed to roll out of the way before Kenta's fist came crashing down on the spot her head had occupied a spit second before. Getting to her feet she brought her fists up in the basic ready position Gai had taught her. She managed to block the next two punches with her forearms then caught his wrist when he attempted a third. Twisting, she hauled him over her shoulder and slammed the two-hundred pound thug to the ground with punishing force.

Kenta lashed out with his foot instinctively, catching the girl in the forehead and knocking her back a few paces. Capitalizing on his hit, he shot to his feet and yanked her head back by her hair, smashing his head to hers. The dazed teenager would have fallen if it hadn't been for his harsh grip on her red strands. He sank his fist into her gut, driving the air from her lungs. Grabbing a fistful of her jacket, he bodily tossed her across the floor and into the front of the bar, forcing the spectators to scramble out of the way.

Naruko grunted as she hit the bar. Her vision was a little blurry from the brutal head butt, but she still saw him pounding towards her. Thinking fast, she leapt up and grabbed one of the stools, swinging it into his chest, causing it to shatter on impact. He doubled over from the blow and she grabbed his head, slamming into the edge of the bar. He swung back wildly with his elbow, catching her in the jaw, forcing her to release him. He grabbed a stool of his own and swung it at her, but to his amazement she met the blow with her forearm, breaking the upper half of the wooden seat to pieces. Quickly, he grabbed one unfortunate member of the crowd and shoved him at the girl.

Naruko was taken aback by the cowardly move, but she managed to grab the man and shove her behind him. However, she wasn't quick enough to block the kick to the stomach from Kenta, sending her back a few steps. Before she knew what was happening, she felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind, pinning her arms to her side. The man Kenta had thrown at her apparently decided to try and get on the big man's good side and intervene on his behalf. Kenta delivered another kick to her stomach that sent both her and her captor flying back to crash against a metal support beam.

Naruko was unfazed by the blow and threw her head back. She head a scream and a crunch, suggesting she broke the nose of the man restraining her, and got her arms free to catch Kenta's arms as he tried to grab her. She brought up a foot to try and push the large man back, but he managed to hold her ground.

"Bitch!" He growled. He spat in her eyes, temporarily blinding her, but she managed to push off from the poor guy trapped between her and the support beam, shoving Kenta off balance and causing him to release on of her arms. Using the grip he had on her other arm, she yanked him forward, straight into an elbow to the top of the skull. He stumbled, dazed, and she tried to kick him in the neck, but he caught her leg and dragged her forward into a bear hug. His tree-like arms wrapped around her small body like a pair of constrictors, and just like the snake he hoisted her into the air and began to squeeze.

Naruko gasped as her breathing was suddenly cut off, and she felt a sharp pain in her side. He had definitely broken at least two ribs. The pressure on her ribcage and spine increased and she knew he would soon kill her if she didn't do something. Frantically, she began to smash a fist rapidly into the side of his head until the rain of blows took their toll on him and forced him to release her. She dropped to the ground, barely keeping her feet as she gulped down mouthfuls of precious oxygen. The two combatants put some distance between each other as they caught their breath and rethought their strategies.

The crowd was going wild. No one had ever managed to go head to head with Kenta before and live to tell the tale, yet here was this little out-of-tower girl matching him blow for blow. No even Daiki could make such a claim. Money was changing hands faster than anyone could count. The redhead's odds had gone up exponentially in the brief time the fight had raged, but many were sticking with Kenta as the favourite to win, believing the girl was just luckily so far. Most didn't care who won. This was a good fight, and they'd be damned if they missed it because they were too busy arguing over who was better.

Daiki leaned over to his little brother, who was watching the fight with equal feelings of shock, surprise, and trepidation. "That's some girl you got there. I can't remember the last time someone decked Kenta, and she's done it a bunch of times in the last few minutes."

"Yeah, she's really something." Hibiki muttered, not taking his eyes off her. "She's done great so far, but can she win against Kenta?" He shook his head worriedly. "Why the Hell did you have to let them fight?"

Daiki shrugged and crossed his arms. "Dunno. I was bored, and they wanted to fight. Plus it's not every day you see a young chick wanting to go fist to fist with Kenta. Made me curious to see what she could do."

Hibiki shook his head at his brother's whimsical reasoning and sighed. "I swear to God, Daiki, if something happens to her…"

Daiki snorted and nudged him with his shoulder, eliciting a grunt from his little sibling. "Don't worry, Romeo, your warrior princess'll come back to you in one piece. Oh!" He perked up at seeing movement from the duo in the centre of the ring of bodies. "Looks like they're ready for round two."

Having finally caught his breath, Kenta decided to go on the offensive again. Being the brawler that he was, he decided to go with the old tried and true method of charging in headfirst. Naruko saw him coming and with a flash of inspiration, she shot forward to meet him. As his hands came up to grab her, she dropped to the deck, wrapping her arms around one of his thick calves. Kenta, taken by surprise, tripped over her, and she capitalized by tucking his ankle beneath her arm and throwing one of her legs over his. Pushing to her feet, she pulled his trapped leg into a painful ankle lock.

Kenta screamed in pain as his leg was twisted harshly. He could feel his muscles straining and felt his bones twist and creak under the strain. If he didn't act fast she'd most assuredly snap his ankle, maybe even crippling him for life. Fighting down the pain and the screams that came with it, he slowly managed to turn onto his back. His trapped leg was being pulled even more brutally at this angle, but he still managed to bring up his free leg to her butt and shove her forward, forcing her to release him, much to his relief. He slowly got back on his feet, although he was favouring his right leg a little more than his left.

"I swear I'm gonna take my time with you, you little tart!" He growled hatefully at her. He never thought he'd meet a female he'd despise more than his mother until today.

"Big words from someone who's getting his ass kicked by a girl. Big bad Kenta; all bark and no bite." Naruko shot back, succeeding in furthering his ire.

With a wild shout, Kenta lunged. He tried to smash her with his fists, but she was too quick and too nimble, ducking and weaving between his swings like a pro, managing to land a few strikes of her own. If he wasn't so pissed he might have been impressed. He finally got the opening he was looking for when she tripped over a discarded bottle. His hand shot out to grab her by the throat and he hoisted her high above his head. He held her there for a moment before running towards the bar and throwing her into the shelves of shacked bottles with all of his might.

Naruko cried out in pain as her broken ribs connected with the wooden shelves. She fell to the ground behind the bar and threw her hands over her head as glass bottles rained down around her, soaking her with alcohol and showering her with glass. A number of sharp stings across her hands, head and neck told her she'd been cut, but after a quick examination she found none of them to be serious. One hand clutching her sore side, she pushed herself into a sitting position as she waited for the stabbing throb to die down. She rested her head against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. This wasn't working. She needed an edge to win this fight or they'd just end up pounding each other into a coma. Still, she couldn't think of anything. As the pain in her side lessened she made to get up when she felt her hand come into contact with something hard and cold. Looking down, her eyes widened and a plan immediately began to form in her mind.

Kenta paced before the bar nervously. His blood was pounding through his veins and he was panting with exertion as he waited for that redheaded wench to show her face. After several moments went by without her showing herself, he began to think that the impact had knocked her out. He was about to go over there and check himself when she slowly stood from behind the bar. She locked eyes with him and instead of vaulting over the counter, she chose to slowly walk around it. Kenta's eyes widened when he saw just what she had found behind the bar.

Around her fists and wrists, wrapped all the way up to her forearms, was a pair of thick chains. The metal links rubbed together, making a horrid screeching noise as she moved. She worked her arms to get used to the extra weight, then held up her arms and motioned for him to attack.

Hesitating for only a moment, Kenta jabbed at her face. Naruko stepped into the blow and cracked her chain-wrapped fist against his unprotected one. He hissed and clutched his hand to him and snarling in anger, swung again. Naruko simply stepped aside, smacking her chained forearm against his wrist, nearly breaking it. Kenta howled in pain and lashed out with his leg, but she caught in beneath one arm and brought the other down on his kneecap.

Kenta's agonized scream echoed throughout the warehouse as the bones in his knee shattered from the force of the blow, the shards grinding together serving as torment to him. Naruko let him go and he crumbled to the ground, clutching his broken limb. He glared hatefully up at her through tears of pain, his teeth gnashing together so hard he risked breaking them too.

"Give up." She told him.

If anything the advice only made him angrier. Showing tremendous will, he slowly and painfully managed to climb to his feet. He was in bad shape. There was blood all down his front from his busted nose, his face was swollen in places, and he was barely standing, his left leg and will power the only things that were keeping him up.

Naruko grimaced and prepared to end this. She shot forward and swung for Kenta's head, but much to her surprise the giant of a man wrapped one thick arm around her's trapping it. She wildly swung with her free arm, trying to get free, but that too was caught. Kenta snarled, his face a mask of fury. With a roar he smashed his forehead against hers. Stars bloomed before her eyes and she tried to stagger back, but he wouldn't let her go. Again and again his thick skull pounded against hers, and she felt something hot trickle down her face. It was getting harder and harder to stay conscious now. Blearily, she felt him release her arms, but her relief was short lived as she felt two massive hands wrap around her throat and hoist her off the ground as he started to squeeze.

Her neck nearly broke outright from the pressure. Frantically, she beat her chain-wreathed fists against the back of his arms, trying to force him to let her go, but his grip was unrelenting. Her movements started to slow and become sluggish. A loud ringing filled her ears as darkness encroached upon her fading vision. Only one thought made it through her oxygen-starved brain.

'_I'm going to die…'_

She never knew why he did it. Maybe he just wanted to beat her and not kill her, or maybe he just wanted her to suffer more before she died. Whatever his reasoning she was thankful that it spared her her life. Just before she succumbed to the darkness, Kenta swung her around with his massive strength and with a loud shout she tossed her limp body across the warehouse. She crashed into a stack of rusted oil drums. The pile gave a wobble from the collision and with a colophony of bangs, like the stampede of a herd of angry metal elephants the cans came down on top of her, burying her beneath their weight.

Kenta sucked down great lungfulls of air. When the girl didn't reappear from beneath the metal pile he relaxed. The adrenaline slowly bled from his system and the pain from his wounds caught up with him. He groaned as he felt the shattered bones of his knee pulse and throb, sending sparks of pure agony through his system. There was a fire in his lungs and his ribs ached, but none of that mattered because he had won.

The crowd went wild as Kenta threw his fists into the air, shouting in victory. Money switched hands leaving many shaking their heads, wondering how on Earth they could have been so stupid as to back a little girl when she was up against the likes of Kenta.

Kenta panted as he took a proffered beer from one of his brother Hatchet Boyz. Popping the lid, he upended the bottle and began to guzzle it down.

The next moment happened so fast he never even caught it.

Naruko exploded from beneath the oil drums, sending them flying as she rocketed towards her target, little more than a red blur of movement. Kenta barely registered the noise of the cans being blown apart before a chain-gloved fist smashed through his beer bottle and directly into his face with the force of a sledgehammer. Dozens of bones broke beneath Naruko's fingers as the bear of a man was lifted off his feet, the power behind the blow so great that it actually sent him flying across the warehouse floor. He cleared the bar counter and impacted the shelves behind it, crushing them beneath his weight and pulverising the glasses that hadn't fallen when Naruko had hit it. Kenta seemed to hang in the air for a moment before he slowly slid down the ruined bar into a crumpled heap on the bare concrete floor. He gave one slow, gurgling sigh as his eyes closed and he moved no more.

Dead silence hung in the air of the warehouse. People blinked and stared back and forth between Naruko and the bar which now blocked Kenta's ruined form from view. They were a good fifteen meters apart and Kenta hadn't even touched the ground when he was launched through the air. The kind of power needed to do something like that was…

"_Fuck me…_" One of the gang members breathed, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

That seemed to open the floodgates. As one the voices of the crowd rose up in a deafening crescendo. People were shouting; most exclaiming disbelief over the unexpected turn of events, and quite a few demanding the money they were now owed. A few arguments broke out, but there was nothing serious. Everyone was in agreement though: that had been one Hell of a fight.

Daiki slowly made his way over to the ruins of the bar. He carefully peeked over the busted counter at the battered and bloody form of his best friend, lying in a pool of booze and his own blood. "Yo, Kenta? You alright, man?" He asked softly.

No answer.

Daiki blinked and slowly turned to stare at the small redheaded girl his little brother was checking on. He numbly plopped down on one of the few stools fortunate to have avoided being knocked over or reduced to kindling in the fight. Grabbing an errant bottle of beer from the counter, he gulped down a mouthful as he tried to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed.

"Naruko! Naruko!"

Naruko staggered back and thanked down onto a crate as a frantic Hibiki came rushing over, looking very pale. Elbows on knees, she hunched over and tried to catch her breath.

Hibiki finally reached her and held out a hand for her shoulder, but stopped before he touched her. He couldn't believe what he had seen. Kenta was one of the most ruthless people in town, maybe even _the most _ruthless, and Naruko - _small, little Naruko!_ - had somehow managed to put him down. "Um… Naruko? What the fuck just happened?" He asked gently.

Panting, she looked up at him blearily through her sweat streaked hair. She hadn't escaped from the fight unscathed either. There was a nasty looking bruise on her jaw, as well as a large purple bruise around her neck, and a trickle of blood ran from beneath her hairline. She shrugged at his question. "I won the fight." She said.

Hibiki blinked hard at the overly simple answer. "But… um… okay?" He really didn't know how to respond to that.

Naruko hunched back over as her breathing began to return to its normal rhythm. She blinked when a bottle was waved beneath her face and she looked up at Hibiki in confusion.

"Take some, it'll take some of the burn off." He advised.

Naruko was about to refuse but the fight went out of her and she grabbed the proffered beer from him and shrugged. "What the Hell…" She took a long gulp, grimacing at the bitter taste that invaded her mouth. Letting the bottle dangle from her loose fingers, she rubbed at her sore side. Hibiki was about to say something else when Murphy's Law came into effect as the one thing that could have went wrong did go wrong.

There was a loud bang as one of the side doors was kicked open. Everyone looked around in confusion as an out of breath and near hysterical Hatchet Boy came barrelling in, hollering at the top of his reedy voice.

"DAIKI! DAIKI!"

The Hatchet Boyz leader held out a hand to steady the young ganger as he came skidding to a stop in front of him, hands on knees as he tried to catch his breath. By the looks of him he'd ran all the way here from the other side of town. Daiki recognised the kid and knew immediately that he was not invited to the party. He didn't need to look at the terrified expression on the kid's face to know something was terribly wrong.

"Hey, calm down!" He shouted as the teen began to blabber nonsense. Daiki grabbed him by his vest and shook him. "I said calm down! What the Hell are you doing here, Isamu? You're supposed to be handling the merchandise over at out place in the casino district."

Isamu's eyes were wide and his movements frantic and jerky. His words came out in a rush and it was hard to understand him, but they all got the gist of what he was trying to say. "I was, but Daiki-I was sitting with the guys and we got hungry so Shin told me to go get something and I went out and got something but when I came back- Prefects, man! They were swarming all over the place, busting down doors and dragging Shin and the others into the wagons! I didn't want to get caught so I ran! It's chaos out there, boss! The Prefects are raiding all our businesses and they're even busting guys in their own apartments, man! They're all over the place! It's like they know where everything is!" The man was shaking like a leaf in a gale by this point. "I heard one of them talking. Daiki, _they know!_ They know about the party! They know about this warehouse! They're on their way here right now!"

All colour drained from Daiki's face as he made sense of Isamu's words. Numbly, he looked up at the rest of the gang, each of whom was sporting a look of abject horror much like his own. Hiroto. Somehow that bastard had gotten dirt on them. He didn't know how and he didn't know when, all he did know was that someone was going to die painfully because of it.

Desperately, Daiki grabbed Isamu and a punishing grip and demanded answers. He was loosing his cool and shouting at the top of his voice. "How did they know? How did they find out where everything was? How _the fuck_ did we not know about this until now?"

But Isamu was shaking his head, tears in his eyes, whether from fear of his leader's fury or the sheer helplessness of the situation no one knew. "That's not the worst part of it, boss." He whispered aguishly. He gripped at Daiki's vest as if wanting something to hold onto so he didn't get swept up in the madness. "Daiki, they've got these people with them - _kids!_ - that are helping them! You should have saw them! They were running all over the place, decking guys like flies! There was this one freak with white eyes, he just _touched _a dude and he hit the dirt! They were _running up walls _and shit, man!"

"Running…" Daiki looked like death warmed over as he realised just what he was being told. "_Ninja? They have __**ninja**__with them?_" His breathing began to quicken as panic overtook him. Dragging a hand through his hair nervously he looked around, praying for a solution to jump out and present itself but none did. "**FUUUUUUCK!**" He booted a stool so hard he sent it rocketing across the warehouse, forcing gangers and guests to leap out of the way. It hit the wall and shattered into splinters.

Gripping his hair, he fell against the bar and tried to regain his sanity. How could this have happened? Everything he spent years building up was now crashing down around him and he couldn't even do anything to stop it. The Prefects knew where all his boys were, where he kept all the important stuff, and they were on their way here now! How did they know so much? How did they know where the party was being held? He had everything planned out to the smallest detail. The only way they could have known was if they had…

Daiki froze. Ever so slowly, his head rose. His dark eyes peered between his fingers as he stared blankly across the floor at the only discrepancy in his plans. "You…" He whispered softly.

Hibiki looked warily at his brother. He'd never seen Daiki act like this. The empty look on his face was scarring him. Perhaps the shock had broken his mind. Hibiki approached him carefully, one hand held out to him "Daiki?" He asked carefully.

Daiki didn't hear him. His eyes were fixed on something over Hibiki's shoulder. "You…" He whispered again as he staggered to his feet. Hibiki hurried forward to catch his arm when it seemed like he was going to keel over, but Daiki still didn't look at him. Hibiki followed his brother's eyes to whatever he was staring at so intently.

"Naruko?" He asked in surprise. "Bro, what's wrong? What about Naruko?"

"Her." He was rambling. "It was her. She did it. She was the one who sold us out."

Hibiki recoiled as if slapped. "What?" He looked between the two, looking at Daiki as if he had lost his mind. "Are you insane? Naruko isn't a ninja! That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard! She's not even from Konoha! She's from Takzaku Gai. Get it together, man."

But Daiki wouldn't be swayed. "Tanzaku Gai, huh? She's from Tanzaku Gai? That's what she told you, is it?" He looked over at the girl who had gone very still. "So you're from Tanzaku Gai, are you?" He asked loudly for all those gathered to hear. Folding his arms across his chest, he had an overly curious expression on his face. "And, erm, just what street were you born on again?"

Naruko hadn't moved from the crate she was sitting on. She was staring back at Daiki unflinchingly and remained silent.

When she didn't answer Hibiki looked round at her. "Naruko?" He asked. Why wasn't she answering?

Daiki smiled in satisfaction, but in reality it looked more like a grimace of pain. "I knew it." There was no triumph in his voice.

Hibiki stepped away from his brother. His eyes were fixed on Naruko, as were the eyes of every other Hatchet Boy there. "Naruko?" He asked again. "Is it true?"

"Of course it's true!" Daiki shouted, but he wasn't angry at Hibiki. He was raving. "How else could she have beaten Kenta? He's a fucking fighting machine and she took him down! Even I'd have trouble doing that and here she goes and does it all by herself! She's been working for that rat bastard Hiroto this entire time! Hell, her name probably isn't even 'Naruko'!" He stared hard at the girl. "You've been planning this all along, haven't you? You were always going to sell us out to the Prefects, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?" He was getting angry with her stoicism. He wanted her to scream and try to deny it, but here she was, acting like the world wasn't falling down around their ears. Acting like it wasn't her fault. _'Damn her!'_

Hibiki stared at her - the girl he thought he knew. The girl he'd thought of as a friend - in complete shock and betrayal. He felt like he'd just taken a sledgehammer to the gut. How could she do this? He shook his head helplessly in denial. "No." He breathed, taking a shaky step back. "Naruko…"

Naruko took a deep breath and bowed her head, her red fringe covering her eyes so she didn't have to look at the anguish in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hibiki." Was all she could say.

Hibiki tore his eyes off her, unable to look at her anymore. His heart felt like someone had just ripped it right out of his chest. "Damn it!" He cursed violently under his breath. He leaned heavily on the bar counter and slammed his hand into it. "Damn it!"

Diaiki finally managed to take his eyes off her, and his gaze swept over the assembled gang who were all staring at the redhead in equal measures of shock, betrayal and anger. "Well?" He shouted, looking at them all. "What the Hell are you idiots waiting for? Kill her!"

One of the Hatchet Boyz looked at the gang leader as he swept past him. Daiki grabbed his distraught brother's shoulder roughly and began to drag him towards the metal stairway leading up to the gantry where the office looked over the warehouse floor. "Boss?" He called out. "What are we supposed to do? I mean, she's a ninja! We can't do anything against that! They have all those freaky powers and shit! What do we have?"

"How about the fact you outnumber her at least thirty-to-one, retard?" Daiki snapped back as he hauled his brother away. "Enough of your whining! Kill her!"

Naruko stood from the crate as the gang began to close in around her. Knives, pipes, broken bottles, sticks, brass knuckles, and dozens of other weapons appeared in their hands as they cut of any possible routes of escape. The non-gang guests had already cleared out of there as soon as they realised what was going down. This party was officially over.

Naruko backed up as she tried to evaluate the situation. She was surrounded on three sides with the wall to her back and she had no possible way of contacting Gai or the others. She placed her hand on her hips and hung her head. Couldn't she catch a break?

She looked up and held out her chain-gloved hands. "Come on then."

With a roar the gang surged forward.

The first Hatchet Boy came in screaming, brandishing a switchblade in his hand. Naruko stepped forward and booted his legs out from under him, sending him careening head over heels as she blocked the pipe aimed at her head with the chains. She cracked the pipe's owner across the jaw and ducked just as a crowbar came sailing over her head. Sweeping around, she knocked the guy's legs out from under him and stood, bringing her hands up to stop a pair of baseball bats aimed at her skull. She stomped on the downed man's head, knocking him out cold, and laid out the two with the bats with a one-two combo. Someone tried to grab her from behind but she stomped on his foot and snapped her head back, breaking his nose.

She kicked one attacker in the chest, sending him flying back into a group of his friends, knocking them down like skittles. She ran over the carpet of bodies to escape the ever constricting circle and turned, back peddling, as the gang came after her.

She ducked a woman's wild swing and flipped her over her shoulder, a table shattering beneath her weight. She caught a kick and used the trapped leg to swung the man around like a shot-put. She managed to knock a few people unfortunate enough to get too close to the ground with her impromptu human weapon, and let him go. The man flew over the heads of his comrades, striking a support pillar before crumpling to the floor.

Naruko caught a guy's fist and twisted it. The man screamed as his arm was turned the wrong way and he fell to his knees. Naruko used the grip she had on his arm to yank him forward, smashing her knee into his face.

She yelped in pain as her hair was grabbed from behind. She lashed out at the Hatchet Boy who came running forward, intending to run her through with a wakizashi, and he fell to the ground, clutching his broken knee. She broke the hold of the person with the grip on her hair and spun under the female's arms to get behind her. Naruko twisted her fist in the girl's long indigo hair and actually threw the girl ganger up and over her, smashing her down through a pinball machine. Naruko glared down at her as she rubbed her stinging scalp. "Tilt."

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and her arm automatically shot up and wrapped around the offending arm. The Hatchet Boy yelped and arched his back as he tried to prevent his arm from being torn out of its socket. With a small twist Naruko did just that and sent him to the ground with a kick to the chest.

A group of Hatchet Boyz decided to band together and charge her. She punched one in the face, but the one behind him managed to grab the chains that encircled her forearm. She tried to punch him, but her other arm was caught and she was forced to let the links slither from her arms. She spun in a perfect roundhouse, kicking three of them off their feet. She dropped as one aimed a kick at her head and she put all her weight on her knee, pressing it down on his foot as she pushed him over onto his side. The Hatchet Boy screamed as his ankle was broken and the ligaments along the inside of his leg was torn.

Naruko ran, ducking and weaving between her enemies. Using a stool as a stepping stone, she hopped up onto the bar, running along its length, having to skip over hands and weapons that tried to grab or strike her. In one smooth motion she bent low and scooped up a cloth that had been laying on the bar, cart wheeling off the counter, landing on her feet with all the skill of a trained gymnast, avoiding a brick thrown at her head.

She ran for the pool table and turned to meet her pursuers. Grabbing the eight ball from the table, she wrapped in the cloth, twisting it around so that it wouldn't fall out, creating a makeshift bludgeon.

"I'm gonna cut you in half!" A Hatchet Boy yelled as he came barrelling forward. Naruko blocked his clumsy attempt to slash her face with her forearm and smacked him across the mouth with the bludgeon, emptying his mouth of teeth in a spray of bloody saliva. The second man foolish enough to come near got the same treatment. A ganger with her blonde hair shaved into a buzz cut tried to spear her with a long, sharp piece of pipe, but Naruko managed to swerve out of the way and wrap the cloth in her hands around the woman's throat, pulling her over her shoulder and pounding her against the floor.

Someone's hand fisted in the back of her jacket and she was pulled back. Allowing her arms to slip from the sleeves, leaving her in her tank top. She managed to catch the collar of the jacket just as her arms slipped free and she used it to pull the Hatchet Boy into a headlock. Three sharp jabs to the side of the skull and a knee to the face put him out of commission and she dropped him just as a barstool was smashed across her back.

Naruko grunted in pain as she fell to her knees. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the burly ganger who hit her raising the remnants of the stool over his head, ready to bash her head in. With a growl she turned and punched him square in the crotch. He squealed like a stuck pig and dropped the stool and his hands flew to his abused package. He was doubled over, fighting for breath, and it was no problem for her to grab a handful of his hair and rear her head back, smashing their foreheads together. He was out before he hit the floor, probably thankful that he didn't have to feel the torturous pain from a full on nut shot.

Groaning, Naruko tried to push herself to her feet, but a kick to her side sent her sprawling onto her back, barking out in pain as the blow broke yet another rib. A hand wrapped around her throat as a thin, sickly looking gang member dropped on top of her. His fist reared back and her hand scrambled for a weapon. It came into contact with something lying a few feet from her. She swung the brick, breaking his face with it and sending him tumbling off of her.

"Argh! Damn it!" Naruko cursed, cradling her battered ribs. She placed her other hand to the ground and managed to get to her own two feet again, albeit a little shakily. Panting, she examined the situation. There were only a few gangsters left; six in fact. After seeing the devastation wrought to their friends they looked very reluctant to approach her at all. Despite the pain it caused, she couldn't help but snort at that. She couldn't blame them. The floor of the warehouse was littered with the broken remnants of the Hatchet Boyz. Some were groaning and writhing in pain, and others lay still and silent.

Naruko rolled her neck and winced. She probably pulled something in the tussle. She waved the remaining gang members forward tiredly. "Let's go."

The last few looked at each other, clearly not wanting to fight her, but not wanting to seem like cowards either. So with each bearing an expression akin to a prisoner approaching death row, they let out a desperate war cry and charged forward wildly.

It wasn't hard to disable them as they came at her. Blocking the punch of the first whilst simultaneously punching him across the jaw, backhanding the second, kicking the third in the stomach then kneeing him in the face, spinning inside the fourth's punch and elbowing him in the side of the head before continuing with the spin to wrap the fifth in a headlock, pausing only to send a kick backwards into the approaching face of the sixth, before a sucker punch sent poor fifth straight into the Land of Nod.

And then there were none.

Hands on her knees and panting for breath, Naruko looked out over the destruction. Everywhere you looked, the place was littered with the one proud Hatchet Boyz, laying out on the floor, sprawled across chairs and couches which had been upturned, hanging over railings, or crumpled in the shattered remains of poorly constructed makeshift tables. Broken bottles, poles, and other weapons lay all over the place, and just a few meters away from her, the once impressive bar was now nothing more than a broken ruin. Huh. She guessed all that training paid off. Now all there was to do was to catch up to Daiki before he got away.

Taking a breath and ignoring the pain wracking her body, she stood up straight and turned towards the stairs leading to the gantry when a sharp pain even worse than the broken bones bloomed in her side and she stared, shocked, into the cold dead eyes of Shinobu Hibiki.

Gasping, she looked down to see the blade of a knife penetrating her stomach, just a few inches above her bellybutton. A dark stain was already spreading around the wound, and she could see little droplets of ruby red dripping down Hibiki's fingers which were curled tightly around the grip, his knuckles white and shaking.

She hacked, a small trickle of blood running down the side of her mouth. Her breathing hitched as her wide blue eyes tore from the knife sticking out of her stomach to lock with those of the youngest Shinobu brother.

"H-Hi…bik-ki…" She stuttered painfully. The pain was excruciating. Like a red hot poker being driven into her gut.

"Why?" He whispered. It was only then that she noticed the tears running from his eyes, and suddenly the pain in her stomach didn't feel as bad as the one in her heart. "Why did you do it? Why? I thought we were friends. I trusted you. I actually _liked _you. I thought that-" He cut off abruptly, looking away before he dragged her eyes back to hers. His face was set into a rictus of pain. "Why _the Hell _did you sell us out?"

"Hi-Hibiki…" She gasped, her hands clutching at her bleeding stomach. "I'm… s-sorr-ry…"

"LIAR!"

Naruko screamed as the knife was torn out of her. The bleeding increased tenfold now that there was nothing to stop it and she crumpled to the ground beside the pool table, pressing her hands against the wound to try and stop it. She curled into a ball on her side. Through tears of pain, she looked up at Hibiki standing over her, his face defeated and resigned. His knife, covered in her blood, was held tight at his side where the rest of him seemed lax in disappointment and betrayal.

He stared down at her. She seemed so vulnerable now, a sharp contrast to the usual cold, aloft Naruko he was used to. The truth of her betrayal was like a fist in his chest, squeezing and twisting his heart. He wanted her to deny it. To prove that she wasn't working with the Prefects and that this was all a misunderstanding. But deep down he knew that there was no mistake. Naruko was a ninja, and she'd been planning to stab them - _Him!_ - in the back since the very moment they had first met that night in the Old Bull bar.

Taking a shuddering breath, he wiped at his tears. It was over, he knew it. The Prefects would be here soon and they'd be carted away for years, maybe even life. He didn't care about that anymore. The only thing he cared about was trying to lighten the pain killing his heart the only way he knew how. _'Betrayal begets betrayal…'_

"I'm sorry…" Hibiki said as he turned his knife over, the blade poised to strike her though the heart.

"Me too…" Naruko whispered.

Hibiki hesitated only a moment then with a anguished yell, plunged the knife down towards her helpless body.

She'd always be thankful she remembered to slip it into her boot before she left the hotel. Just as Hibiki's knife came cutting down through the air, Naruko twisted. Her combat knife, a gift from the Sandaime Hokage himself, stabbed straight through Hibiki's forearm. The shock hit him before the pain did and he dropped the knife as he cradled his bleeding limb to his chest. Wasting no time, Naruko quickly reached up and grabbed his head, slamming it against the edge of the pool table. Hibiki crumpled to the ground beside her.

Her breath coming in harsh, shaky pants, Naruko reached up with a bloody hand and used the pool table to slowly haul herself up. She cried out in pain as her stomach wound pulled at the motion, and she had to lean on the table to catch her breath. Looking at Hibiki's downed form, she gulped and grit her teeth against the pain as she leaned down to pull the knife from his forearm. She risked a glance at his face. He looked rather peaceful, like he was sleeping. If this was to the last time she would ever see him she was glad it was while he had such a serene expression.

"I know you hate me… and I know you have the right…" She said lowly. If he had been awake he would have been the only one to hear her. "But no matter what has happened… I'll always consider you my first real friend…"

Unable to look at him anymore, Naruko turned away from him. She looked up at the dark office above them on the gantry. There was only one thing left to do now.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed off from the table. With her bloody knife in one hand, the other pressed tightly over the dark red stain covering her stomach, she staggered towards the dark metal stairs that led up onto the gantry. Her feet clanked loudly on the metal grates as she used the railing to pull her battered body up the steps. Twice she had to stop to catch her breath. She was feeling a little cold. Probably from blood loss. She didn't know how long it took to bleed out from a stomach wound, but she did know that stomach wounds bled hard and fast, particularly if you were moving around. She'd neglected to bring a blood replenishing pill with her, so she'd have to catch Daiki fast and get herself to a medic soon.

When she finally made it to the top of the stairs she fell out onto the gantry, and had to grab onto the railing blocking the walkway off from a two story fall to the solid concrete below to prevent her from hitting the deck. The lights of the office were out and she couldn't see inside. She managed a snail's pace as she pulled herself along towards the closed door. She leaned heavily against the railing to get her breath before pushing off and standing before the door. Redoubling her grip on her knife, she kicked it open and stepped inside the dark office.

She barely caught the movement in the shadows to her right before something cracked across her forehead. Stars erupted before her eyes and she staggered back, feeling a torrent of something hot and sticky run down her face as she fell against the railing.

Daiki stormed out of the shadows of the office, a metal pipe clutched in his hand. Snarling furiously, he swung. Naruko cried out and dropped her knife as he caught her across the shoulder and she crumpled to the gantry floor.

"You - dirty - lying - miserable - cheating - conniving - bitch!" Each shouted word was emphasised by a hard blow from the pipe. Dissatisfied, Daiki tossed it aside and pulled her to her feet, throwing her against the railing. Naruko's world spun before she felt the familiar feeling of a pair of hands wrapping around her neck. Her eyes nearly popped from their sockets as Daiki squeezed with a strength that was only enhanced by his madness.

"This is going to be the most satisfying this of my entire life!" He snarled as he stared into her bloodshot blue eyes. He wanted to remember every twitch of this bitch's face as she died.

Naruko gasped airlessly as she grabbed his wrists and tried to pry them away from her. That only seemed to make him angrier and he doubled his pressure, bending her back over the railing. Left with little option, Naruko did the only thing she could do.

She brought her knee crashing up between Daiki's legs. He hacked in pain and his grip loosened only slightly, but it was enough to distract him. Grabbing a fistful of his vest, Naruko swung him round. The old railing finally gave way under their combined weight and the two of them flew out into the air above the warehouse floor.

"Fuck!"

"Damn it!"

Naruko barely managed to turn them as they careened down the two stories to the solid concrete below. Barely thinking, Naruko grabbed Daiki and twisted them so that he was beneath her. A look of utmost shock was the only thing she registered on his face before they came crashing down through the pool table.

She didn't know how long she blacked out for. Maybe it was only a few seconds, maybe it was an hour. She didn't know. The only thing she did know was that when she came to, she found herself lying on top of an unconscious Daiki. She made sure he was really out of it before she allowed herself to release a very long, very tired sigh. This had been one of the longest nights of her life.

With a shaking hand, she reached up and used one of the broken halves of the pool table to help her up. She stumbled away from the crash sight, barely keeping her feet.

A lone couch and a small table had escaped the chaos. She plunked down onto it and groaned aloud as some of the tension eased from her muscles. These worn, tattered, and stained cushions were a Godsend. Her head dropped to the side and she stared at the crumpled Hatchet Boy that sat slouched beside her. Strong drink and even stronger drugs had knocked him out long before everything went to Hell, allowing him to snooze through the chaos as peacefully as a baby.

Glancing down, she slipped the untouched beer from his hand. She took an experimental dreg and found it to her liking. She patted the ganger on the shoulder. "Thanks." She shoved him off the couch. She tiredly put her feet up on the small table and slouched further into the cushions. Taking a long mouthful of the beer, she let her head fall back against the couch with a weary sigh and closed her eyes.

She didn't get much time to enjoy the silence before the sounds of shouts and barks filled her ears as the doors to the warehouse were thrown open and in poured the majority of Otafuku Gai's resident Prefect Force. They stopped dead in their tracks at seeing the towns biggest criminals laying sprawled across the floor of the warehouse like the scattered toys of a child.

Disgruntled at the blatant interruption of her peace, Naruko held out her hands to display the devistation around her. "Welcome to the party." She snarked.

Lt. Hiroto, his katana held uselessly at his side, could only gape at stare at the scene before him. The Hatchet Boyz; the largest and most powerful criminal element in Otafuku Gai's entire history, had just gotten their collective asses kicked by a girl no older than his young daughter. This… would make for a very strange report…

"Naruko!" Gai rushed forward. Lee and Neji were behind him. Both were staring at the carnage around them with more composure than the stupefied Prefects, but still with clear surprise. Neither of them had any idea that Naruko would have been at the level needed to take on such a large number of foes at one time just yet. They could do the same, but they'd had years of training already, while Naruko had all of four months under the tutelage of Gai with no prior experience in combat. They looked at each other. Obviously they had underestimated their latest team mate.

"Well… this is most unexpected." Lee muttered to Neji. "It would appear that you were wrong about her failing. Where is your fate now, my Rival?"

"Bite me." Neji uncharacteristically snapped back as his eyes swept over the area. This wasn't possible. This was the work of a _ninja_, not a mere _civilian_. That girl should not have been able to do all this, no matter how hard she had trained. It was not her fate. Then how…

"Hello, Gai-sensei." Naruko said as the Jounin stopped before her. In fact, it came out more as a sigh if anything else. She was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep, and this couch was rather comfortable despite its shabby state. She had almost fallen asleep before they had come barging in. God help anyone if they tried to get her to move…

"Are you alright? You're bleeding!" Gai started as he saw the large stain on the front of her tank top. A cold feeling of horror dumped into his system as the notion that he had nearly sent her to her death entered his mind. Unbidden, he started to ramble. "What happened? Was there a fight? How did it start? What happened to Daiki? What-"

"Sensei!" She said, cutting him off before he could get too worked up. "I'm fine. Daiki's somewhere over there by the pool table. They found out what was going on and there was a fight, but I won. I'm fine, really." She had to lay a hand on his arm to get him to calm down.

Gai sighed. He moved to sit beside her on the couch as he regained his senses. Around them Prefects were already rounding up the gang. No one put up a fight, what with many of them being unconscious. The ones that weren't were just happy to get away from the psycho-girl who had kicked their asses. The Jounin in Gai took command as he made sure the mission was accomplished. "So the target was secured? Shinobu Daiki is in custody?"

"He's not going anywhere soon."

"Very good." Gai nodded. He leaned back and stared up at the flashing lights that had been installed to turn the place into an illegal club. "Excellent. Now all we need to do is get you fixed up, grab Daiki, make a quick stop in the forest, then we can be on our way."

"Why do we need to stop in the forest?" Neji asked, bemusedly.

Lee looked shocked that he would ask such a question. "Neji, don't you remember the Youthful Vow Gai-sensei and I swore as we left Konoha? Neither Gai-sensei or I were the ones to capture Shinobu Daiki, Naruko was. As sworn in the Vow, we must each now carry a five foot tree back to Konoha with us! By doing so we will be strong enough so that the next time we have a mission to capture a Shinobu Daiki,_ we_ will be the ones to capture him, thus further increasing our Flames of Youth!" The fires of passion burned in his eyes as he clenched his fist.

"Well said, Lee!" Gai cheered his adorable student on.

Neji blinked at the boy's logic. "That… is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. And considering how long I've been a part of this team that's saying a lot."

"Such un-Youthful words! I must fufil any Youthful Vow I declare with the best of my ability! Why, if I were to forgo my Vow that would be… it would be… it would be worse than burning my jumpsuit!"

"Please do, that thing is hideous."

"BLASHPEMY!"

Neji was about to launch his retort when a strange sound reached their ears, stopping their argument in its tracks. It was strange; something that neither of them had ever heard before. It was a rich, throaty sound, and took them a minute to realise that that strange sound was the sound of Naruko_ laughing_.

She had her head thrown back, her shoulders shaking as her rich laughter shook her entire body, coming straight up from her diaphragm and ringing loudly in the air. Even Neji had to admit that it was quite a nice sound.

The laughed was cut short when Naruko hunched forward, clutching her gut. Her face was a mixture of humour and pain. "Argh! Argh! Shit-ow! Ugh! Gai-sensei!" She was still laughing.

"I've got you, Naruko." Gai waved over the first-aid team that had been standing by and moved aside as they began to work on his young student. Naruko sighed and let them do their work, a chuckle escaping her every few seconds.

Gai smiled down at her and placed a hand on her messed up hair. She looked up at him, a wide grin on her face. "I'm very proud of you, Naruko." He told her sincerely, proud enough to burst.

Naruko only laughed all the more.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand DONE!**

**Sweet Toothfairy's edible thong that was hard! This is officially the **_**longest **_**thing I have ever written. My hands are killing me! Ugh. Hopefully this makes up for the long wait.**

**Some of you are probably scratching your heads at the fight scene. In many fics I've read it has Genin going out on their first C-rank and taking on literally armies of bandits and coming out without a scratch. I wanted to make this a more realistic story, thus the brawl between Naruko and the Hatchet Boyz (Good God am I thankful I won't have to type that name any more). I didn't want her zooming around like Lee, decking them all in seconds, and I didn't want them running up to her one at a time only to be knocked out with no struggle. One sided fights are boring. Hopefully it was entertaining anyway.**

**Now that this behemoth of a chapter is out I can focus on churning out my other neglected stories. **

**Oh! And watch out for a brand new story set to come out sometime in the next few weeks. It's a real doozy and I've never seen one like it before so I'm really excited to write it!**

**Please people, make the struggle to get this chapter out worth it and review!**

**Peace out, y'all!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, I don't.

**CHAPTER 7**

Autumn had Konoha firmly in its grip. The usual scorching summer heat had cooled into a windy chill that promised a snowy winter, and the vibrant green of the leaves had changed with the turning of the seasons, falling from their branches in a rain of reds, yellows, and browns.

She lay the bouquet of chrysanthemums against the smooth white stone. Gently brushing off a few dead leaves that littered the small pedestal the headstone stood on, she crouched on her haunches and let out a soft sigh as the cool winds whipped around her.

"Hey, Mom." Naruko said quietly, but with a smile. "We just got back yesterday. The mission went fine for the most part, but…ugh!" she covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, it was horrifying! That guy the client warned us about must have hired civvy freelancers to steal the package from us en route. They were good too; waited for us in the border town a day before we made the drop off and somehow figured out I was the one holding it. We decided to treat ourselves and take a trip to the hot springs. It was a slow night so there was no one else around. It was nice. At least up until the moment I went to change back into my clothes and found the three freelancers going through my stuff looking for the package. Didn't find it though since I had it beside me while I was in the bath. It kicked off the second they saw me."

She laughed again let her head tilt back. "Oh, you should have seen me. Standing there; package in one hand and holding my towel closed with the other, fighting these three guys! I managed to put them down quick enough, but the real challenge was getting dressed before my squad arrived. I barely had my shirt on before Gai kicked the door in. I'm telling you if he saw me I'd never live down the shame."

Reaching down she picked up a wayward twig from the ground and began fiddling with it. "I haven't really had time to stop and fill you in on what's been going on these last few weeks have I? Sorry about that, things have been busy. Let's see, what else has been going on? Oh, I'm finally getting a hang of the tree walking exercise. I still can't stand still but I can run up it for as long as I want. Heh, only took me six months to get this far. PT (Physical Training) has improved as well. I still can't take Lee or Neji in a fight but I can take a beating and stay standing until Gai calls the spar."

She twirled the twig between her fingers before snapping it. The sound of the dry wood breaking echoed across the eerily silent cemetery. Flicking the broken bits away she dusted off her hands. "You know, I can't believe how things have changed since the Hokage made me the offer to become a kunoichi. Quiet little me becoming a hard as nails ninja? I almost laughed him right out of the Shack. But now…I don't know. When I think about what else I'd rather be doing I can't really come up with anything. Six months as a ninja already and I still get excited when we go out on a mission or sensei teaches us something new. Kinda makes me think of what things might have been like if I enlisted in the academy with the rest of the kids. Ugh, seven years stuck in the same class as Neji!" she made a face and chuckled. "Still, I can't help but think that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. It's certainly a long way from stacking boxes and running errands that's for sure."

She checked her trusty battered watch and sighed. "Sorry, Mom, but I have to go. Sensei said we need to meet up early tomorrow. Something about an important announcement. I'll see you if not before my next mission then at the beginning of next month."

She laid a loving hand on the top of the stone before turning and heading for the gate of the cemetery, the autumn leaved dancing in the wind in her wake.

* * *

"Chuunin Selection Exam?" Naruko sat up from her reclining posture on the bench. "What's that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Gai said as he leaned against the support beam. The squad was gathered in the terrace that served as their usual meeting place, which had at some point come to be known as the Roost. The three Genin of Squad 9 sat before their sensei, one confused and the other two with noticeable airs of excitement (Or in Neji's case barely repressed satisfaction).

"Yosh!" Lee hollered, punching the air with his fist.

"About time." Neji agreed, leaning back with a happy quirk tugging at his lips.

Gai chuckled at their eagerness. He remembered his own reaction way back when. "The exam, Naruko, is a bi-yearly tournament held every six months where ninja from many villages come to display their skills and work for a chance to earn their promotion. There are many ways to be promoted of course, but the exam provides the opportunity to show the world the calibre of our up and coming shinobi. It's a PR stunt at its very basic."

"What, so every six months we just open up the gates to any ninja who wants to try for promotion?" she asked a little incredulously. It sounded like an awfully big risk just to advertise their services.

"Well there are restrictions that limit the number of foreign ninja who can attend, and how many from each village, but we're not the only village who holds the tournaments. There's an international group called the Chuunin Examination Committee (CEC) set up to ensure that all the rules are properly followed. Only a select number of foreign ninja are allowed to attend and spaces are always highly sought after, most of which go to the host village. This time around that village is us."

"But the academy graduated seven months ago so how come the exams are only happening now?"

"The exam and Konoha's academy year don't run on the same timetable for many reasons, most of which involve the academy timetables of the other four major Hidden Villages. The last exams were held in Kumogakure a month after this years academy group graduated."

"Oh." Naruko said. That made sense.

"When do the exams start, Gai-sensei?" Lee leaned forward eagerly.

"Three weeks from now."

Neji frowned. "That's a little short notice, don't you think?"

Gai nodded. "It is, but there are reasons for it."

"What kind of reasons?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with right now." he waved away their concerns. "Right now the thing you should be concerning yourself with is the decision of whether or not you want to sign up for the exam."

"Why wouldn't we?" Lee asked, completely baffled as to why any self-respecting ninja would turn down such a chance.

"Because this exam is not like those you took in the academy." the no-nonsense expression on the Jounin's face tempered any excitement they may have been feeling. Gai's dark eyes dragged over each of them. "I won't beat around the bush here. These exams have a very high casualty rate. There has never been an exam where at least one squad has not been killed. These tests are designed to replicate conditions in real-world missions which means there will be very real dangers."

He reached up and pulled down the neck of his jumpsuit to expose an old ragged scar at the junction where his shoulder joined his neck. "I got this half way through my first exam. My squad was ambushed when two foreign squads decided to work together to take us out. I was clipped by a fuuma shuriken, just barely missing my carotid artery. My team-mates managed to drag me to safety and were forced to forfeit to get me medical attention. If it hadn't been for them I'd be dead." he covered the old wound back up. "That's just a small example of the dangers you'll face if you decide to take part in the exams. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just trying to make you understand that these tests are not for the faint of heart. If you decide to take part you must do so with utmost commitment and dedication."

The Genin glanced at each other. Even Neji was looking slightly pale. As far as they were concerned Gai was the strongest ninja in the village bar the Hokage himself, and that even as a child he must have been better than his peers despite his claims at being the dead-last of his year group. It was childishly naïve, but they still held onto the belief. The sight of the near fatal wound, however, had rattled that belief.

Gai crouched so that he was eye-level with his students. "I don't want your answer now. Take the rest of the day to think about and we'll meet back here tomorrow. Just remember; there's no shame in waiting until you are sure you're ready. Do you understand?"

He waited until he got a nod from each of them before dismissing them. He put a foot on the railing and was about to leap off when Lee stopped him.

"Wait! What if two of us want to take part but one of us does not? Will we still be able to take part in the exam?"

Gai looked back at them. "Yes. This is something you must decide for yourself. Don't let anyone else pressure you into it. There will be no room for doubt in these tests."

With that he leapt off the terrace and vanished. Squad 9 stayed for a few more minutes before dispersing back towards their homes. They had a lot to think about.

* * *

Sleep eluded Naruko that night. She lay on top of the covers of her bed, dressed in baggy sweats and a large academy t-shirt. Moonlight streamed in through the cracked window illuminating everything in shades of grey. Her hands were threaded behind her head and she stared at up at the ceiling, turning over Gai's offer in her head.

Chuunin. Chuunin Uzumaki Naruko. She had to admit it sounded good.

But even so the doubts wouldn't leave her alone. She tended to over think things, she knew, but this was a major decision. Gai's story had really unnerved her. She knew the man wasn't invincible, but he _was_ strong, and if he could be almost killed in the exams then what hope did she have? In six months she had yet to even come close to winning a spar against Lee or Neji, despite Gai's claims that she was getting there. Civilian professionals she could handle no problem. But shinobi? That wasn't just a whole other ballpark; it was a different bloody sport!

As soon as they'd been dismissed she had come straight home and proceeded to stress. Every possible disaster scenario conceivable ran through her mind. She'd tried to imagine what would happen if she were ambushed by enemy ninja, or if she was badly wounded with no one around to help, or if she was confronted by some huge carnivorous animal, or a million and one other things.

She may be a worrier, but in the shinobi world the lines between the possible and the impossible can get very blurred.

She was reminded of that day when Sarutobi Hiruzen himself showed up on her doorstep offering her the opportunity to be trained by one of the village's elite. She stressed about that for over two weeks before a trip to her mother's final resting place had convinced her to go for it. Somehow she didn't think that would cut it this time though.

Making up her mind she pushed herself off her bed and grabbed a pair of leather sandals from under her bed. While she would never wear them on a mission or even for PT she had to admit they were comfortable enough to wear around the village on her days off. The cold night air didn't bother her so she went without a jacket.

She realised she wouldn't be able to make this decision on her own. She needed an objective outlook. She needed another perspective.

Damn it, she needed help. And she knew just where to get it.

* * *

Lee's apartment complex wasn't really that far from the Shack. While it wasn't in the slums it was still in one of the poorer parts of town. Since rooftop travel was restricted to the patrols at night she was forced to walk through the streets. Since it was both late and a weeknight there was no one else out except for the shinobi who drew the nightshift. Her impeccable hearing caught the baby soft sound of the patrols' footsteps on the shingles of the roofs as they passed over her head.

She stood in the alley behind the complex, hands on her waist as she stared up at the numerous dark windows. Dozens of washing lines extended between the buildings heavy with freshly washed clothes hung out to dry. She had only ever been here once before, and for the life of her she couldn't remember which apartment belonged to her team-mate.

She frowned. She didn't want to go knocking at the door and risk waking up Lee's mother. The woman worked long hours and Naruko didn't want to disturb her. She examined the washing lines and grinned indulgently as she saw a particular gaudy green jumpsuit hanging on one of the lines six stories up. From there it was easy to pick out Lee's window.

Then she frowned again. While her chakra control had improved it was still quite bad by most standards. If she tried to simply walk up the wall her chakra signature would have every patrol in the village bearing down on her in a second and she really didn't think 'I want to talk to my team-mate,' would serve as a good excuse for disturbing the peace.

"Guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way." she muttered to herself. She was suddenly glad she decided to wear sandals tonight. It would make this a whole lot easier.

It was practically a law that every building constructed in a Hidden Village had wide windows and some form of balcony for shinobi access. Even in a predominantly civilian district that same rule applied as each apartment had good sized windows and those tiny balconies that were barely more than a door and a railing, and the flourishing window boxes that hung from them proved that the people living here were Konoha born and raised.

Mentally working out her route she took several steps back. Making sure she remembered exactly which window was Lee's she crouched slightly, drew in a long breath, then ran full out at the wall.

Even in the cramped confines of the alley she managed to run several meters up the wall, reaching the second floor windows, before gravity started to assert itself. Flexing like a coiled spring she pushed off of the wall, landed on the wall of the other building, and launched herself even higher. Wall jumping between the two buildings chakra-free, she actually managed to reach the sixth floor before she lost most of her momentum. She latched onto the rusting drainpipe that run up the side of Lee's building and let out a muffled curse as her foot slipped. A drizzle of rain earlier that day had covered most of Konoha in a slippery sheet, and she heard the rotting pipe let out a tortured metal groan as her fingers reflexively tightened around it.

Glancing to her right she saw that only one window separated her from Lee's bedroom. Shimmying down the pipe a little so that she was level with the window ledge she reached out with one hand and grabbed a hold of it. Like the pipe it was wet from the earlier drizzle, and the moss growing on it didn't help matters. She only prayed the apartment's occupant didn't wake up and look outside to see her dangling from their window.

'_If a Jounin lives here and he catches me I'm screwed.' _she thought, glancing apprehensively at the dark window. Making sure her grip on the ledge was ironclad she let go of the pipe, her hand shooting to join her other on the ledge. The feel of her fingers digging into wet moss was unpleasant, but she's suffered far worse before.

Sudden movement caught her ear and she froze, her body instinctively tensing and attempting to get as flat against the wall as possible. Peeking up, her breath turned to ice in her lungs as she saw a patrol fly overhead, dark blurs against the inky black sky. They didn't pause as they continued on with their patrol.

For several long seconds Naruko stayed there, dead still and clutching onto the side of the building like some badly designed gargoyle. When she was sure that the patrol was gone and that she wouldn't be caught she let out a long shuddering breath.

It suddenly occurred how stupid she must look; scaling a building in the middle of the night in her jammies like a common burglar just to ask her team-mate for some advice.

'_Classy, Uzumaki, very classy.'_ she snarked to herself.

Deciding to get this over and done with she shimmied to the edge of the ledge and reached out towards the one outside Lee's bedroom window. With a small grunt she shifted her weight and hauled herself over. With a sigh of relief she hefted herself up and peered through the glass and into her team-mate's bedroom.

It was definitely Lee's room alright, exactly as it had been the last time she was here. Various exercise equipment scattered on the ground. The first ever jumpsuit Gai had given Lee framed and hanging on the wall, bearing the Jounin's own autograph. Dozens upon dozens of dog-eared books on training and breaking the human body tumbling from rickety shelves on the wall, surrounded by various pictures of the boy himself either with his mother or Gai. She and Neji were in one or two as well. Yes, it was definitely Lee's room alright. There was just one problem.

The Youthful little bugger in question was not in his bed.

"Where the hell is he?" Naruko hissed aloud, glancing around the room. The covers of his bed were tossed aside so she knew he had been sleeping here at some point tonight, but the bedroom door was closed so it was unlikely that he had just gone to the bathroom.

Naruko was silently fuming. All that hassle and the boy didn't even have the common decency to be in his bed so she could wake him up. Her entire body seeming to sag, she let her head fall back as she stared up at the heavens, defeated. Why couldn't anything in her life be simple?

'_He couldn't have gone far. He's not exactly a night owl, and he always makes sure he's fully rested for PT with Gai. If I were Lee where would I…bingo!'_

New energy filled her. It only took minor effort on her part to scramble back to the pipe. Hand over hand she hauled herself up the pipe, scaling the remaining four floors, heading for the roof.

"Naruko?" Lee asked bemusedly as he watched the sole female element of Squad 9 hauled herself into the roof. "Why are you climbing the side of my building?"

"Long story." she dodged the question as she wiped her wet hands off on her sweats and took a look around. Someone had converted the roof into a small semi-private garden; a common fixture in Konoha. There were a few long flowerbeds overflowing with greenery and a small greenhouse nestled beside the stairwell that led to the roof.

Lee was leaning against one of the flowerbeds with his arms crossed, still dressed in his pyjamas, and sitting on the ledge nearby was Neji, still dressed from earlier that day.

"I guess I'm not the only one who hasn't made up my mind." she observed as she perched herself on the ledge she just climbed over, across the roof from Neji, and with Lee almost exactly halfway between them.

"Yeah, we were just talking about it." Lee said. He stared hard down at the bare concrete of the roof. "The chance to become a Chuunin. It's a great honour; one Neji and I have been waiting a year for already. We we're disappointed when sensei wouldn't allow us to try the last two times the exams took place, but after hearing what happened to him…it seems a lot more real now, you know?"

"Yeah, that scar kind of sticks with you, doesn't it?"

Both boys made sounds of agreement.

They lapsed into a long silence after that, the only sounds on the rooftop being the gentle sounds of the plants swaying in the breeze and the soft squeaking of a mouse somewhere in the shadows.

Lee let out a breath and glanced between them. "What are your thoughts on this?" he left the question out there for both of them.

"I want to try." Neji said without hesitation. "The chance for promotion is not something you should pass up if you can help it, but there's this little voice in the back of my mind that keeps asking me if I really think I'm ready for the exams. Before I would have said absolutely, but now I can't help but wonder if I can be better prepared."

"I almost expected you to say something along the lines of 'It doesn't matter how hard you train; Fate will decide whether or not you will become a Chuunin!'." Lee teased.

Neji shot him a small glare. "Fate will decide whether I become a Chuunin or not. But that doesn't mean I can't do anything to improve my chances."

Lee nodded. That made sense. He glanced at the redhead staring thoughtfully between her dangling feet. "Naruko?"

"I dunno." she blew out a breath, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wasn't exactly in it for the career when I joined the ranks, and in a lot of ways I wouldn't mind staying a Genin, but some weird part of me wants to jump at the chance."

Unseen by Naruko, a quick look was shared between the two boys. They had secretly wondered why Naruko, a civilian orphan girl, would so suddenly be thrust into the shinobi program and placed under the direct tutelage of the village's premier Jounin, and by the Hokage himself no less. It was an intriguing mystery, but both knew that even if they asked they would get no answers anyway. Gai had already shot them down numerous times before finally forbidding them from asking again.

"That would be inadvisable."

Naruko stared at Neji with honest surprise. That almost sounded like advice.

He continued on, "You're barely a step above a civilian. Like sensei said these exams are designed to separate the wheat from the chaff. I, and possibly Lee, have a decent chance at not only surviving these tests but gaining our promotions. I doubt you'd make it through the first test."

Naruko's look of surprise melted into one of disgruntled exasperation. She should have known. What's more as much as she hated to admit it, and as much as she wanted to punt Neji off the roof at this point, the infuriating boy was infuriatingly right. Civvies she could handle no bother, but besides the occasional spar with the two of them (Which she _always_ lost) she had never fought another ninja before. If her current track record was anything to go by she would not fair well in such a fight.

"Neji…" Lee admonished tiredly, but Naruko still caught the small tinge of worry in his voice. He too thought she'd be horribly out of her depth if she decided to take part in the Chuunin Selection Exam. That made all three of them.

Didn't mean she didn't want to try though.

Neji snorted. "Oh please, you were thinking the same thing; you're just too nice to say it."

Lee glared, but said nothing.

The Hyuuga shook his head, his long dark hair swaying with the motion, and hopped off the ledge, dusting off his backside as he did so. "Look, the bottom line is that we want to take the exam, but we're worried about whether or not we're ready. The only question is do we take them this time around or not?" He stared directly at Lee as he spoke, but his voice made it clear that he didn't care either way if Naruko signed up or not.

Lee dragged a hand through his inky black hair, sighing heavily. Indecision was written into every line of his face.

"Why don't we just flip for it?"

The two males looked at her like she was crazy. She merely shrugged. "What? There are dozens of different arguments why we should or shouldn't take the exam, and if we try to think through them all we'll be on this roof all night.

"You want to flip a coin?" Neji repeated slowly, as if she had just uttered the most mind-numbingly idiotic thing anyone had ever said. "Do you even _have_ a coin?"

She shrugged again. "You're the only one of us who's properly dressed, I assumed you would."

He blinked, but reached into his pocked anyway. His team-mates huddled around him as he held out his hand, the silver coin lying in the middle of his palm. The three Genin stared down at it.

"Sooo…how do you want to do this?" Lee asked slowly. He couldn't believe they were about to gamble their careers, and quite possibly their lives, on a coin toss.

Naruko scratched her cheek. Even she was surprised they were actually going ahead with this. "Heads we go for it, tails we don't?" she offered.

Lee took a steadying breath and nodded. "Okay!"

Neji shook his head. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"Yeah well, Who Dares, Wins. Right?"

The Genin of Squad 9 looked at each other, as if hoping one of them would come to their senses and talk them out of what they were about to do. They shouldn't be doing this, it was stupid. It wasn't just stupid; it was idiotic, irresponsible, reckless, and downright dangerous…

But then again what else could you expect from the students of Maito Gai?

Neji flicked the coin into the air with a sharp _ping!_ Time seemed to slow as they watched in arc high in the night air, spinning slowly end over end as it reached its zenith before falling back towards them. Neji caught it deftly and immediate slapped it to the back of his hand, keeping his other one tightly pressed over it. He, Lee, and Naruko looked at each other, nodded, then looked down as he removed his hand.

Their eyes widened…

* * *

The very air around Konoha seemed to become charged with excitement and anticipation as the countdown to the Chuunin Selection Exam grew shorter. For a military exercise with a worryingly high mortality rate the exams brought an almost festive feel to the village. Banners fluttered from lampposts and colourful bunting dangled between the buildings, peddlers hawked off t-shirt and souvenirs mostly to the large influx of tourists pouring in from all over, and the bookie business was booming as bets and wagers came pouring in. The foreign ninja who arrived to take part were treated by the local populace with varying degrees of awe, fear, and suspicion. The Leaf shinobi on the other hand treated them all with a professional cool detachment, even their distant allies from Suna. Grudges lived long and died hard in the ninja world after all.

This year's exam was doubly interesting for Konoha considering the unique batch of examinees taking part. Not only was this years entire graduating class taking part, the first time rookies had been allowed entry in several years, but many of those Genin were heirs of the village's elite shinobi clans. The amount of foot traffic in the bookies shot up because of that alone.

"This is gonna be _SWEET_!" Kiba whooped as he practically bounced alongside his team-mates. Akamaru, who had taken up his favourite spot in the boy's messy hair, yipped his agreement.

"Calm down, you idiot." Sasuke berated him even as the smirk on his face threatened to break out into a full blown grin.

"I will not 'cause soon I'll be a Chuunin and _you _will have to answer to _me_!" Kiba boasted dramatically, cackling like a cheesy cartoon villain for good measure. "It'll be great! You'll bring me my meals, wash my clothes, and I'll even make you give Akamaru his baths. Daily."

"What am I, your wife?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Nah, I'm way outta your league."

"Oh, shut up the pair of you." Tenten snickered at their antics, though she couldn't deny their excitement was infectious. Even she felt lighter than usual. The three of them were on their way to the administration office where they would hand in their application forms and from there they would be told where to go. On each of their backs was their packs just like their sensei instructed. For the last three weeks since Kakashi's announcement he had drilled them into the ground to get them ready for the tests they would soon face. The pace and been gruelling and torturous, but Tenten could honestly say that she had never felt stronger, and it was that confidence that would carry her through these exams and hopefully into a Chuunin vest.

They passed between a series of thick columns before entering into the building's large empty lobby. Moving up the stairs and further into the building it wasn't hard to find the office they were looking for. There were a few other squads hanging around but none they knew. They hung around until they were called to hand in their forms. Once that was done they were told the first exam would be taking place in one of the academy buildings. Thanking the ninja clerk, they headed back the way they came. They had reached the lobby and where just about to exit the building when they were stopped by a voice.

"You there, with the blue shirt and cockatoo hair. Please wait."

The Genin of Squad 7 stopped, surprised, before turning. Their eyes immediately zeroed in on the origin of the voice that had stopped them. A boy, around their age, standing on the floor above them.

Despite her confusion Tenten surprised a giggle as she saw Sasuke reach up for his hair a little self-consciously.

Sasuke frowned, knowing he was the one the guy had called out to. "What do you want?" he demanded, annoyance tingeing his voice.

The boy's reply was not what they were expecting.

"Will you fight me right here, right now?"

The three of them blinked and looked at each other, quite taken aback. Who in their right mind just called out to perfect strangers and asked them for a fight?

"Fight you right here, right now?" Sasuke repeated slowly for clarity. Who the hell was this guy?

Almost as if hearing his silent query the boy hopped over the balustrade and down onto the main floor of the lobby. Now that they could see him properly their confusion only increased at the stranger's peculiar sense of fashion…or lack thereof. If the garish one piece jumpsuit and bowl cut didn't single the boy out in a crowd then his unusually bushy eyebrows would.

They honestly didn't know if they were dealing with a fellow ninja or an escaped mental patient.

The boy jabbed a thumb at himself. "My name is Rock Lee of Genin Squad 9. I saw the symbol on the back of your shirt as you left the office. You're Uchiha Sasuke, aren't you?"

The young clan heir's face became a blank mask. "I am. What of it?"

"As I said I would like to fight you. I want to see how my skills fair against a descendant of a genius shinobi clan."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the strange kid. "So you're challenging me even though you know I'm an Uchiha? Sorry to tell you this, but you're pretty ignorant. You really sure you want to see what an Uchiha is capable of?"

Rock Lee actually smiled with anticipation and moved into a stance; ramrod straight with one hand behind his back and the other held out before him invitingly. "Please."

Sasuke blinked once then snorted. He took a step forward. "Well if that's what you–"

"Oi!"

All eyes turned to Kiba who was giving Lee a challenging glare. "I'll fight him."

Tenten shot him a look. "Kiba, don't get involved–"

The Inuzuka grinned but didn't take his eyes off his opponent. He set Akamaru down with firm instructions to stay put. "Don't you worry about lil' ol' me, Tenten. This'll be over in five minutes tops."

Lee frowned. "I don't want to fight you. I want to fight an Uchiha."

Kiba scowled. The bastard hadn't even looked away from Sasuke the entire time. "Well tough shite, 'cause I want to fight you!"

He was off like a shot, tearing across the hall with impressive speed and keeping low to the ground. He grinned as his nails lengthened into claws and he lurched forward, ready to tear the boy's face off and win the match in one easy motion.

It didn't connect.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lee moved like water. Almost serenely, the boy took a small step forward before his hand shot out and pushed Kiba's clawed fist down, knocking him off balance.

With a muffled curse Kiba switched tactics, slapping a hand to the ground and using it as leverage to sweep his leg up towards Lee's face.

Again he failed. Lee bent, coiled and moved like liquid. Ducking under Kiba's foot he spun, his leg snapping out to knock the dog-user's hand out from under him. Kiba's momentum from his charge carried him forward into a half-backflip where he landed painfully on his back a few feet behind Lee. The boy in question smoothly rose to his feet and resumed his earlier stance, his eyes never leaving Sasuke the entire time.

The whole exchange took all of two and a half seconds.

Tenten and Sasuke blinked, slightly in awe of the teen's movements. His every motion had been quick, precise, and perfect. They looked at each other. Kiba was no pushover, they knew this, but he'd just been so completely outclassed and even he couldn't dispute it.

This Lee character may look strange, but it was obvious he was no two-bit ninja.

"I will declare this here and now." Lee stated, his voice seeming to echo in the empty lobby. "You cannot defeat me. Because as it stands I am the strongest of Konoha's Genin right now."

Sasuke stared at him for several long seconds. Then a smirk of intrigue made its way onto his lips. "Okay then. Maybe you are worth my time after all."

"Sasuke…" Tenten warned.

He shot her a look brimming with confidence. "Don't worry. This'll be over in five minutes."

She huffed and threw up her hands.

And then he moved. Sasuke was just as fast as Kiba on any given day, and with the chakra he sent coursing through his muscles he was even faster. He was on his opponent almost immediately with a lightning quick jab inches from the boy's face.

Later Sasuke would swear on the spirits of his ancestors that Lee became a _blur_. One second he was there, the next he was gone, and Sasuke was franticly turning, barely managing to duck beneath a roundhouse that came so close he felt it rustle his hair.

There! Lee suddenly appeared low on the ground in front of him, spinning like a top and sending a foot directly at his face. Adrenaline slowed time allowing Sasuke to experience every terrifying second in great detail. He felt as if he were fighting underwater with his every movement painfully inhibited. As he flung up his arms to block the kick the only thought that registered in his mind was; _'I can't dodge!'_

_Wham!_ The punishing force of the kick was like a sledgehammer to the face, and Sasuke found himself tumbling ungracefully through the air. The brutal sound of his body hitting the unforgiving ground sounded unnaturally loud though how he could hear anything with his ears ringing so dreadfully he'd never know.

Tenten was for once speechless. She had just witnessed her team-mate, this year's Rookie of the Year and a prodigy in the shinobi arts, get booted through the air like an unwanted cat. Everything she knew about the ways of the world was telling her that was impossible even as she witnessed it with her own eyes. She looked down at the unflattering heap of bruised ass that was the last scion of the noble Uchiha house.

"Five minutes, huh?" she parroted dryly.

"Shut up!" Sasuke growled as he pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his bruised cheek. He was surprised his jaw was still intact after a hit like that. _'He got through my guard! But how? Was that some kind of ninjutsu? Or genjutsu?'_

Lee smiled to himself as he watched his opponent rise from the ground. _'You can still stand up. Just as I thought.'_

"That was impressive, I'll give you that," Sasuke admitted as he gathered himself. "You're good. Maybe I'll even let you see something really special. I've been waiting for a chance to try these out."

If Tenten was surprised before then there were no words for the shock she felt when Sasuke brushed his inky black hair out of his face. His eyes, usually a shade of grey almost as dark as his hair, had changed. They were now two pools of menacing crimson, and orbiting the pupil like moons around a planet were strange black tomoe-shaped flecks; one in one eye, two in the other.

The fabled Uchiha birthright. The Sharingan.

"When the hell did you get those?" Tenten demanded. She had no idea he was even close to inheriting those eyes.

The thrill of the fight was practically radiating from Sasuke. Through his family's eyes he could see more than he ever could before. Colours seemed brighter and more vibrant. The pattern of how the material of Lee's jumpsuit had been woven was now rendered in perfect detail. The way his muscles moved and rippled with every twitch was laid bare to him. He could even – through the two tomoe in his left eye – see the faintest, almost non-existent glimmer in the boy's abdomen, the heart of the chakra system. The ability would be perfected when he inherited the second tomoe in his right eye, allowing him to see his opponent's chakra system in its full exquisite detail, but even as young as his Sharingan was it was still a sight to see.

His opponent's face was completely serious, but there was a momentary quirk of a very bushy brow. "The Sharingan. The legendary Copy Wheel Eye itself. I'm honoured."

"So you should be." Sasuke grinned. "But this fight is over now. No one can stand before the might of these eyes."

Lee's own dark orbs glimmered with mischief. "Is that so? Well then, this should be interesting."

Sasuke's mind was racing. _'This aught to work. Even if I can't see his chakra system I should still be able to get an idea of where he'll move if I can see the chakra moving through his limbs. There's no way such speed is natural.'_

Sasuke would win this. He knew it. He could feel it in his blood, the same blood that gifted him with such powerful eyes. Like a spring he coiled, his gaze focused on his target unmindful of anything other than himself and the person he was about to annihilate. The coil flexed then sprung. He moved, his sandals barely touching the floorboards as he flew across the ground. His eyes never wavered from Lee's face. Those red orbs, the last and greatest gift from his beloved clan, showed him every detail of the boy's features; every hair, every twitch, every imperfection…

They also showed him the way his lips, seemingly ever so slowly, pulled back into a triumphant grin before the bastard _blurred_.

The second kick to his jaw almost took his head clean off. A weightlessness came over him and Sasuke found himself arcing back through the air. His eyes were fluttering. The hit had almost knocked him delirious. _'How? The chakra…there was no…I should have seen…'_

The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck rose as a soft voice whispered in his ear.

"_I win!"_

* * *

Tenten's hands flew to her mouth the second Lee's kick had connected. She watched in horror as her team-mate's limp body flew through the air, only to gasp out loud as the strange Genin appeared beneath him, the wraps binding his arms having come undone and trailing behind him. She saw he was setting up for one deciding technique and she feared her friend may not survive it. "SASUKE!"

Suddenly Lee jerked awkwardly in the air and came crashing down on the hardwood floor of the lobby. Tenten lunged forward and caught Sasuke before he could do any more damage to himself. She looked up to see what had happened. It wasn't that hard to figure out; a kunai had pinned one of the teen's trailing wraps to the wall bringing Lee to a jarring halt before he could complete his manoeuvre.

Kiba got to his feet, looking as bewildered as she felt. "What in the hell just happened?"

"Lee!" a new voice barked.

Lee blinked and looked up at the two figures making their way down the stairs towards them. "Oh, it's you two."

"Yes. It's us." Neji's terse tone caused him to flinch. "What were you doing?"

Lee got to his feet. Tenten saw a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I uh…"

"We've been looking for you for the last five minutes." Neji cut him off, his pearly-eyed glare cutting through the Beautiful Green Beast. "And I suppose those two bruised unfortunates behind you are the reason you snuck off? Please don't tell me you challenged them both to a fight right before the exam."

"I didn't! Well, not exactly. You see I only wanted to fight one of them, but then the other one wanted to fight me and if I wanted to fight the one I originally wanted to fight then–"

"Lee." the red headed girl cut him off sternly. Tenten suddenly had the oddest sense of recognition. When did she know this girl from? While Tenten racked her brains the kunoichi continued to admonish her team-mate. "Do you remember when we decided _not_ to get into any unnecessary fights?"

Lee hung his head. "Yes."

"Do you also remember when we decided _not _to draw attention to ourselves? And that we _shouldn't_ go showing off our skills until we need them?"

His head hung even lower. "Yes…"

"What do you think sensei's going to say about this? Especially when he hears that you tried to use _that_ technique right before the exam."

Lee paled greatly. "Oh no…"

"'OH NO' IS RIGHT!" Everyone jumped as a mighty _boomf! _shook the lobby, white smoke obscuring their vision. It slowly cleared to reveal powerfully built man towering over Squad 9, his arms folded across his broad chest.

His unique appearance did nothing to take away from the terrifying expression on his face.

Round black eyes widened. "Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!" the Jounin's thunderous voice shook the room. "You have broken your promise to me! You swore you would not let your Youthful eagerness overrule your commonsense during these tests! What's more you tried to use _that_ technique! Are you ready to face the consequences?"

Lee gulped loudly, but then sighed in resignation, his shoulders drooping. "Yes, sir…"

Tenten watched as the Jounin's fist shook then clenched into a meaty fist.

"Lee…YOU IDIOT!"

Squad 7's collective jaws fell as the Jounin caught the small boy with a perfect, brutal haymaker to the jaw. The force of it took Lee off his feet, and when he got back up there was blood pouring down his face from the new split in his lip. He hung his head as his sensei lectured him on the importance of well restrained Youthful energy, and the proper times to let it become unrestrained.

Neji and Naruko winced in sympathy for him. They had both been on the receiving end of Gai's 'Youthful Enforcer' once before (Ironically for arguing with each other) and they would testify that the punishment left a lasting impression. In more ways than one.

Shaking her head Naruko moved over to the younger Genin. "You guys okay?"

Tenten blinked and looked at the girl. "Uh, yeah."

Naruko apprised the bruises blooming on the pale boy's face. Her team-mate had got him good. "Sorry about Lee, he can get…competitive."

"Yes, we noticed." Sasuke grumbled, rubbing his abused jaw and checking to make sure he still had all his teeth.

"Hey," Kiba suddenly inquired, "do I know you from somewhere?"

"That's what I was thinking!" Tenten exclaimed.

Naruko blinked then shrugged. "If you do then I can't remember it."

"Oh." _'Must have been someone else.'_

There came two emotional shouts and Tenten looked over at the others to see the Jounin had finished berating his student and the two were now clutching at each other, bawling their eyes out.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder, snapping her out of the stupor she hadn't even realised she had fallen into and she saw the older girl shaking her head. "Don't look directly at it."

The Jounin – Gai Squad 7 had surmised his name was based on Lee's wailing – finally dried his tears and after patting his pupil on the head made his way over to them. "Hello there! May I hazard a guess that you are Kakashi's little students?"

Kiba looked up in surprise. "You know Kakashi-sensei? Er, sir?" he added hastily. No matter how odd your first meeting is you always showed a senior officer the respect he was due.

"It's a bit more than that I imagine. In fact most people call us…Eternal Rivals!"

"Eternal…wha?"

"Anyway, I feel I must apologise for my Lee. He's a fine ninja, but more often than not his eagerness to prove himself can lead him awry. Be sure that he didn't mean to cause you or your team-mate any real harm. Are you okay, young Sasuke?"

"I'm fine." the last Uchiha said, pushing himself to his feet. "It didn't hurt that much."

Gai chuckled knowingly. "No, I suppose it never does, does it?"

"How'd you know his name?" Kiba wondered.

"I pride myself on knowing everything there is to know about my Eternal Rival, including the names of his students. I also know that your name is Kiba, and I guess that would make you Tenten."

The girl blushed slightly at the acknowledgment. "Yes, sir."

Gai checked the clock hanging on the wall and tisked. "I wish we could continue this, but if you tarry any longer you'll miss the first test of the exam. You three should run on ahead, I wish to speak with my students first. And good luck! I hope to see many fine new Chuunin this year!"

Squad 7 hefted their packs and gave the Jounin a quick salute before heading off towards the academy. Gai watched them go before turning back to his own Genin. Neji was holding Lee's pack while the boy retied his wraps.

"So what are you doing here, sensei?" Naruko asked.

"I came to make sure my students handed in their applications on time. It would be a shame if those three weeks of training went to waste because you slept-in. But the other reason was that I wanted to talk to you before you before you joined the other Genin."

"What's wrong, Gai-sensei?" Lee inquired.

Gai sighed heavily and knelt, motioning for them to crowd around him. The muscles of his face were tense and his eyes were troubled. "I didn't want to say anything beforehand because I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily."

"What's going on?"

"There was a reason the announcement about the Chuunin Exam was delayed this year. I wanted you to devote your focus to your training instead of anything else, but there's no reason to keep you in the dark anymore. A month ago when the Hokage left for his meeting with the CEC to make a final decision on the numbers of foreign ninja who would taking part he received a very unpleasant surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Naruko kept her voice as low as Gai's.

"A new Hidden Village asking to take part in this year's exam."

"A new village?" Neji hissed, his eyes wide. His team-mates bore much the same look.

Gai nodded grimly. "They call themselves the Village Hidden in the Sound. They're based out of the Rice Country yet despite Rice's Daimyo recognising them as the country's official Hidden Village we have never heard mention of them until their envoy went before the CEC."

Lee looked even paler than he had when Gai arrived. "How is that possible? Surely we would have heard something?"

"I asked the same questions. Up until a month ago we had never heard of _any_ shinobi presence in the Rice Country. The fact that a significant military power managed to flourish in a country that borders our own without us even knowing about it was enough to give the boys over in Intel the fright of their lives. They're quite rattled over the whole thing."

"So they should be!" Neji growled quietly, but with vehemence. "It's those idiots' job to know about this stuff! Remember we were supposed to take that C-rank in Rice two months ago but couldn't because the client's funds didn't clear? What if we had? We could have been walking right into enemy territory and we wouldn't have even known it!"

"I know that, Neji." Gai raised a hand to calm the irate boy. By the dark looks on their faces the other two shared Neji's feelings. "But when I say that we didn't know I mean that _no one_ knew. The Hokage even sent letters to the Kazekage and a few of the other ninja villages we have friendly relations with and none of them had any idea that this Otogakure even existed up until a month ago. Intel has devoted much of its manpower to finding out as much about Oto as possible. As it stands all missions coming out of or going into Rice have been put on hold until we know more. The order has also went out to stay clear of the country, and we've secretly been sending troops up north towards the border to make sure they don't try anything."

Gai sighed heavily and rested his hands on the shoulders of Lee and Neji who were on either side of him. He looked at all three of his students in turn. "Look, the point is I came here to warn you about the more immediate threat; the Oto Genin. Despite this being their first ever Chuunin Exam they've only sent one Genin squad to represent themselves and that has the Hokage and the rest of us worried. Watch out for most of the Genin you meet in this exam, but especially keep a close watch on those Oto shinobi. Don't go near them, don't talk to them, don't let yourself be alone with them, but most importantly _do not turn your backs on them! _Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The three of them nodded. Keeping the Genin of Oto at a safe distance had just moved to the top of their list of priorities.

"Good. Hopefully this will all be over soon. Who knows, maybe we'll find firm friends in the shinobi of Otogakure, but this is the real world and it doesn't always work that way so we have to play it safe for the time being."

Gai looked up at the clock again and saw that the start of the first stage began soon. He stood, dusting off his knees. "I've kept you long enough. Look after each other, remember what I taught you, and follow your instincts and you'll do fine. You can tell me all about how you made the exam proctors look like fools after you pass. NOW GO AND SHOW KONOHA AND THE WORLD HOW BRIGHTLY THE GENIN OF SQUAD 9 SHINE!"

Grinning, the three of them snapped off a quick salute before tearing out of the building and towards the academy. Gai leaned against one of the pillars watching them go, two blurs of green and one of white. His gaze turned north. Off on the horizon, where the Lands of Fire and Rice met, a dark storm cloud was rolling across the sky. His eyes narrowed at the grim prospect.

Those Oto ninja had better have nothing less than the purest intentions in this exam. Because if anything happened to his beloved children then there would be no force on this earth that would stop him from burning the Land of Rice to the ground.

* * *

The building was one of the older ones out on the academy grounds. So old that neither Lee nor Neji could ever remember stepping foot inside it during their time here. Despite that the place seemed to be in good shape and still had many more years of service left in it.

A sign outside directed all Chuunin hopefuls to the second floor for the first test. There was an almost eerie stillness about the place, and there wasn't another soul in sight. The squad made for the stairwell.

Almost as soon as they reached their desired floor Naruko stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" Neji asked, annoyed with the hold up.

"This is the second floor, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because the sign on the wall says that this is the _third _floor."

It did as well. That was definitely strange. The signs in the stairwell had clearly stated that this was the second floor.

"Weird." Lee muttered.

"So the sign is wrong. Big deal," Neji dismissed the error and started moving again.

Apparently the sign was wrong and this was the correct floor because they soon spotted two Chuunin, Intel boys judging by the grey uniforms, flanking a simple wooden door. Neji handed over their passes and after a few second to verify them the guards waved them through. The door swung open, admitting them into a rundown classroom. It wasn't much; just a few broken tables and chairs stacked up against the wall, and a blackboard on the far wall bearing a couple of old mathematical equations that no one had cleaned off the last time this room had been used.

Upon entering the first thing to hit them was the sheer hostile tension in the air.

The feeling was so jarring that they stopped barely through the door. The room was filled with Genin, and despite the large number of bodies the air retained an uncomfortable chill. The only sound to be heard was the extremely low hum that only a shinobi's whispers could produce and that only a shinobi could hear. Almost every Genin in the room was engaged in a sort of free-for-all staring contest, trying to intimidate the opposition while at the same time appraising them for any useful insights into what they would be up against.

More than a few unfriendly eyes turned upon their entrance. Squad 9 kept their composure easily, and made their way over to an empty corner of the room.

"A lot of competition." Lee muttered low enough for only the two of them to hear. "There must be what–fifty squads here? At least?"

Neji glanced around. "We have to be careful. If we keep a low profile then if it ever comes down to facing off against these people they'll be more hesitant about approaching us."

"Most of these ninja are from Konoha though." Naruko pointed out. "You really think they'll try to kill us just for a promotion?"

"No, but I think they would beat us half to death for one if they thought they could get away with it." He noticed a Takigakure kunoichi staring at them from across the room. He levelled her with a severe glare, causing the older girl to grin, wink at him, then turn back to her squad. Neji looked at Lee. "You think you can rein in your incessant need to challenge every second person you see to a fight, at least until this exam is over?"

The young man grimaced slightly and rubbed his cheek where a large fist-shaped bruise was forming. "Don't worry; I'll be good."

Naruko dropped her pack in the corner where the two walls met before plonking down next to it. Laying back she used it as a cushion and she wriggled for a second to two to get comfy. "Better take a seat. No knowing how long it'll be until the proctors get here."

Following her advice the two sat down, Neji with his back against the wall and his eyes closed, deep in meditation, and Lee who had simply sprawled out on the floor, his pack under his head, staring up at the ceiling.

The only thing left to do at this point was to watch and wait.

* * *

"Stupid clerk. He should've given us better directions! There's more than one old building on the academy grounds, how're we supposed to know which one it was?"

"We're here now so just forget it, Kiba." Tenten sighed as they finally stepped into the classroom. She couldn't believe she had almost missed the exam just because they didn't know which building it was being held it! She only hoped nobody found out about it or any shot she had at a promotion would be out the window.

"Sasuke, my dear! I was wondering when you'd get here! I knew that if anyone in our class would jump at the chance of promotion it would be you!"

Tenten turned to see her team-mate being assaulted by an overly-enthusiastic blonde. Okay, maybe assaulted was too harsh a word…or maybe not judging by the look on the boy in question's face. The girl had latched herself onto Sasuke's back and hung from him like a monkey.

"Get off him, Ino." another voice said tersely. Sakura and the rest of Squad 8 approached them while Shikamaru and Chouji watched their team-mate go gaga over her crush with looks of disgust clear on their faces.

"_Yes, get off me, Ino_." Sasuke ground out through gritted teeth, and with a rough shrug dislodged his persistent admirer.

"Ah, Sasuke! No need to get so rough, I was just happy to see you is all," she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Well I'm not happy to see you."

"Oh, you don't mean that."

Tenten and the others just shook their heads at the all too familiar scene. Ino had been one of the many girls with a crush on 'the last Uchiha' all through the academy, and it seems that her coming of age had done little to assuage that infatuation. Sakura too harboured strong feelings for him, but thankfully she was less open about it than her former best friend. It was something that irked Tenten to no end. The two had been almost inseparable when they were little, but had decided to break off a strong friendship just so they could 'properly compete' for Sasuke's affections. She still held out hope that they would sort things out though, if only to stop the constant arguments about who Sasuke liked the most.

Shikamaru gave a grumbling sigh and rubbed his face tiredly. "Tch, so troublesome." he muttered his favourite phrase.

"So you guys got in too, huh?" Kiba stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. It's a bloody bother though. Wish I could just be at home in my bed."

"Why didn't you just opt out then?"

"And explain to my mother why I'm not trying as hard as I can to go as far as I can as fast as I can? Hell no, anything's worth avoiding that."

"You think you're ready?" Sasuke asked after finally getting away from Ino and Sakura. He never talked to people outside his squad much but Shikamaru and Shino were the two people he worked with best in the academy. They were focused on getting the job done and little else. He'd actually been disappointed when they were assigned to different squads.

Shikamaru shrugged. "As much as we can be I guess."

"Yeah, well we all know I'm gonna pass with flying colours." Kiba sighed as if under a great burden and buffed his nails against his jacket. "It's so hard being so great all the time."

"Great?" his female team-mate snorted. "Who was the one who fell trying to climb onto the academy roof and landed on one of Akamaru's messes?"

Ino laughed heartily. "Oh yeah, I remember that! You fell off the drainpipe and right on top of lil' 'maru's doodoo. I remember Iruka-sensei wouldn't let you go home to change and made you stand at the back of the class taking notes. You can still smell the stench on a hot day!"

Chouji snickered into his bag of potato chips. "_I_ remember his mom making him come to class the rest of the week with his clothes wrapped in saran wrap so he wouldn't get them dirty again."

The group howled with laughter at the memory. Even Sasuke and Shino chuckled quietly at the Inuzuka's expense. As they laughed they failed to notice the dark looks being sent their way by the rest of the Chuunin hopefuls in the derelict classroom.

Kiba's face was burning. "Shut up, you assholes!" That week had been the most humiliating week of his entire life. That one little slip up had turned him from the badass clan ninja to the joke of the academy. Even the little first year kids in the beginners classes openly laughed at him! Worse still was that his little tumble had branded him eternally with his most hated nickname, a name that his mother and sister still used to this day for the express purpose of pissing him off: Humpty Dumpty.

With extra emphasis on the 'Dump' part.

The laughter suddenly cut off when another voice interposed itself into their conversation.

"You little kids want to quiet down. You'll only end up making yourselves targets with that 'best friends forever' attitude of yours."

Laughter stopping abruptly Ino turned to face the Genin that had spoken to them. Placing a hand on her hip she cocked her head to the side. "And who might _you _be?" she asked challengingly.

The boy was several years older than the oldest of them, maybe in his late teens or very early twenties. He had a boyishly handsome face, but there was an arrogance about him that was offsetting. His shaggy silver hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail and intelligent dark eyes glinted from behind a pair of round glasses. Two boys – team-mates most likely – stood either side of him, leaning against the wall.

The silver-haired youth pushed away from the wall and approached them, his hands resting comfortably and non-threateningly in his pockets. "Take a look around you. These people are some of the most hard bitten Genin in the world, all of them older than you and all of them far more experienced than you. The Chuunin Selection Exam is serious business. You waltzing in here with those little baby faces just proves you're out of your depth here."

The Genin did take a look around and saw what he meant. Almost every other examinee was staring at them, some with contempt, some with disgust, and there were those who's gaze was downright predatory. The kind you'd expect to see on a lion who had spotted its next meal.

"Okay…maybe you have a point." Kiba muttered uncomfortably, turning away from the majority of the room, the other's following his lead (Although Sasuke, Shino, and surprisingly Chouji returned those baleful stares with ones of their own.).

"So you're the rookies from the academy, eh? Must be what – five or six years since they've let rookies into the exam before they've even gotten a year of field time under their belts." the stranger looked at them appraisingly. "But where are my manners? Genin Yakushi Kabuto."

"Kabuto." Sakura repeated slowly. "So is this your first time taking the exam?"

Kabuto looked a little embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "Actually…this would be my seventh go."

"Seventh?" Kiba blurted incredulously. _'This guy must suck!'_

Kabuto shrugged. "What can I say? It's hard."

"So you must know a lot about the exam then?"

"I guess you could say that." Kabuto glanced around then leaned closer. "But if you promise to keep it a secret I may just decide to help out my cute underclassmen."

"Don't call use cute." Kiba grumbled.

Kabuto merely chuckled. "Do we have a deal?"

The group looked at one another then back at him and nodded.

From his pocket Yakushi produced a thick deck of cards. They were larger than your average playing cards, more along the lines of what you'd expect a mystic to use for her tarot readings. He idly began shuffling them as he spoke. "Over the years I've been gathering whatever information I can glean during the Chuunin Exams. In that time I've collected quite a little archive of knowledge on my fellow examinees and their villages. A few of the ninja you see here today are frequent flyers like me, but there are a few new faces that I recognise from my time in other exams in other villages. If you want I can give you a little insight on what you'll be facing."

Most of the group looked quite indecisive. They wanted to win their promotions as much as the next person, but Kabuto's offer seemed a little underhanded. If they were promoted they wanted it to be with a clear conscience and with pride in their achievement. Though on the other hand their sensei were constantly telling them that in the ninja world there were few rules. Would they be proud of their students for using gaining a strong advantage or would they be disappointed in them for not relying on their own skills?

Finally on of the group stepped forward.

"You really have information on Genin taking the exam for the first time?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto smirked as he continued to shuffle the deck. "If they're interesting enough, yes. Have anyone in mind?"

"Rock Lee from Konoha…and a guy named Gaara from Suna."

"It's no fun if you already know their names." Kabuto knelt and placed the deck face down on the ground as the younger Genin gathered round to watch.

"So how do these things work?" Ino wondered.

"The information is burned into these cards using a special ink that reacts only to my chakra. If I take a card like so, place it on the ground face up and push my chakra into it then – voila! See? The information appears to be used at my pleasure. Now let's see who we've got here."

He held up the card so that the rest of them could see. Revolving in the profile box, a feat only possible through chakra manipulated data, was the image of a young boy with red hair. "Ah, looks like we got the more interesting one first. Subaku no Gaara, age thirteen, third born child of the Yondaime Kazekage. Don't really know much about him other than the fact that he's supposed to be very strong and…wow. I'd forgotten about that."

"Forgotten about what?" Sasuke demanded impatiently.

"Apparently he was sent on a solo B-rank mission and returned successful. Without so much as a scratch on him."

"What? That's impossible!" Sakura denied adamantly. There was no possible way a simple _Genin _could achieve such a success. She was starting to wonder if Kabuto only extended his offer to give them bogus information.

The young man shrugged. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, that's for you to decide. I'm just repeating what I heard from a Chuunin in Suna."

"What about Rock Lee?" Sasuke got them back on track.

"Okay, wait a sec – ah, here we go! Rock Lee, age thirteen, and was apparently the dead last of his academy class. Assigned to Squad 9 under–"

A hand reached past Kabuto and snatched the card right out of his hand. Yakushi snapped round to see the boy who's information he'd been dishing out. Lee was reading the card, his frown growing deeper the further down his eyes read until his features were twisted in a suspicious sneer. His round eyes narrowed into slits as he turned them on the card's maker. "Where did you get this information?" he demanded hotly.

Holding his hands up Kabuto rose to his feet. He stood a head or two taller than Lee but the smaller boy still looked more than ready to attack him. "I just keep my eyes and ears open. You'd be surprised how much information you can gain just by sitting in a café listening to the world around you."

Ino moved over to Tenten. "Hey," the blonde whispered to her, "you know who they are?"

The brunette nodded. "They're Squad 9. The one with the card is Rock Lee. He and Sasuke fought before the exam."

"He fought Sasuke? Why?"

Tenten glanced at her from out of the side of her eye and noticed that many in the other squads were listening in too. "He just wanted to see how strong he was."

Naruko stepped forward and took the card from Lee who was still glaring at the unrepentant Kabuto. Looking at it she could see why he was so mad. The card contained information on nearly every aspect of Lee's record, from his academy scores, to a breakdown of his missions, and even a rough graph of skill set. How the hell had a Genin gotten so much detailed information on another Genin?

While these thoughts were running through her mind Kabuto tried to explain himself to an irate Lee. "Look we're ninja. We take any advantage we have to survive. I won't apologise for that, but what I will do is make you the same offer I made these guys. There are fifty-two squads here, surely there's someone you've got your eye on. Just ask and I'll give you the rundown on any Genin here."

Lee opened his mouth to retort, but Naruko cut him off. "Deal."

The bespectacled youth smiled. "Great! Anyone in particular who's card you'd like to see?"

Lee was glaring at her, but she ignored him. She wanted to find out a few things and if this guy was so eager to help then why not let him? "I want to see my card, his card," she tilted her head towards Neji, "and your card."

"My card? Whatever for?"

"You seem to have information on all of us. It doesn't seem fair for you to know so much when all we know is your name."

Kabuto was frowning. The girl had him in a bind and they both knew it. If he refused then it could turn the rest of the Genin against him and that wouldn't be pretty. Then again what did he have to lose? It wasn't like he kept anything incriminating on his own card. "Fine." he said, producing the cards. Let her have her fun. It wouldn't matter in the end.

She took them, handing Neji his. Electric blue eyes scanned the lines of information and before long she bore an expression akin to Lee's. This stranger had far too much private knowledge about her, that was for certain. He knew she had never attended the academy and had been fast tracked onto a team (Although not why thankfully), he knew how many missions she'd gone on, as well as a comprehensive rundown of her abilities. She was about to say something when her eyes fell upon the last sentence and the blood drained from her face.

_Has undergone severe anatomical augmentation. Bone structure density and muscle fibre tissue far above that of a regular human leading to a vast increase in physical capabilities. Metamorphosis ongoing. Cause unknown but strongly suspect the involvement of demonic energies present since birth._

There was a pounding of blood in her ears. Her heart was thumping wildly against her ribcage, and she'd broken into a cold sweat. Her wide blue eyes snapped up, and she saw Kabuto watching her reaction closely. A few of the younger Genin had noticed her reaction too, but thankfully not Neji or Lee as they were both busy glaring at Kabuto.

What the hell had this fool been thinking keeping classified information like that on his person? He was probably old enough to remember the details of the Kyuubi's attack all those years ago so she wasn't surprised that he knew, but the idiot had been flashing those cards to God knows who. If he showed this to someone who didn't know of her secret then that wasn't just a regular old fuck up; it was treason! And how had he known of her 'augmentations' as he put it?

There was something very wrong going on here, and she sure as hell didn't like it.

With great force of effort she schooled her features and turned to Kabuto's own card. _'He's been through the exam quite a few times over the years yet he's never made it to the final test either because he quit or was disqualified. Neither of his squad mates have either, though his first sensei was KIA two years ago. Seems his only real skills lie in his medical jutsu. And his ability to know things he shouldn't.'_

"We good?" Kabuto asked eventually.

"We're good." she said, handing him back his card. "Ah-ah," she held her own out of his reach, "we're keeping these. Don't want you giving away out secrets to just anyone. You understand, right?"

Kabuto frowned, but there wasn't much he could do. "Fine." he said reluctantly.

With that Squad 9 moved back into their corner, talking quietly among themselves and shooting him suspicious/angry glances, hiding their cards away from prying eyes.

Kabuto sighed and gathered up his cards. "I think we should probably wrap this up. It seems our little discussion is attracting too much attention. Good luck with the exam, kids, you'll need it."

"Well that was interesting." Tenten muttered as they watched him rejoin his squad.

"I'll say. That Lee kid looked ready to belt him." Kiba agreed, reaching down to scratch Akamaru behind the ear. All the tension in the air was making him agitated.

Ino snorted very unladylike. "No kidding. Even I was…Sakura?" she suddenly broke off. The pinkette was staring after Squad 9, his lips slightly apart and a furrow between her eyebrows. She moved over to her, touching her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"That girl." Sakura muttered. "I know her."

"Huh?" Ino's face twisted. "Where could you know her from?"

"You don't remember? It was ages ago–"

"Which is probably why I don't remember." the Yamanaka muttered sarcastically.

Sakura glared at her. "It was the D-rank at that fishmongers a few months back just after we graduated."

Ino snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! Now I remember; the one where the crate almost fell on you."

"Yes, that one. And do you remember what saved me?"

"Of course I do, it was–" she stopped, her eyes wide. "_Noooo…"_

"What?" Kiba asked.

"Yes." Sakura nodded.

"'Yes' what?" Kiba asked again, more impatiently this time.

Everything finally clicked into place. "She was the girl who caught the crate!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Exactly. But…that doesn't make any sense." Sakura bit her lip.

"Why?" a confused Shikamaru asked, his interest piqued.

"Because the girl who saved Sakura wasn't a Genin." Ino explained. "I don't even think she was a kunoichi."

"She wasn't back then." Sasuke admitted, his arms folded.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Tenten was the one to explain. "The day after that we got a mission from the Hokage himself. He wanted us to find her so that he could talk to her in person. But…this doesn't make any sense!" she said, frustrated. "Kakashi-sensei said that she was homeless and had been off the grid for years. She wasn't a ninja and had never been in the academy so how could she be here?"

Before anyone could answer there was the telltale sound of a Shunshin and chakra smoke obscured the front of the classroom. All conversation hushed immediately as a loud, harsh voice boomed.

"All right, shut up and sit down, you little shites! The first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam begins now!"

* * *

Commanding officer of the Torture & Interrogation Squad, Jounin Morino Ibiki slowly paced before his seated audience, his heavy greatcoat flowing behind him like a dark cape. His size and sheer presence demanded everyone's attention, but few dared meet his malicious gaze head on. He smirked. On most people the expression may have been reassuring, but it only served to twist his already deformed features into an even more terrifying visage. He stopped in front of one Genin and watched as the girl tried her best to put as much distance between them as possible without actually moving. His smirk grew. He loved exam day.

"I am the proctor of the first test; Morino Ibiki. You will refer to me only as 'sir' if I even allow you to speak at all. You are here because your superiors seem to think that you may be worth something to your villages, though looking at you know I have to question their judgement. Luckily for you it doesn't matter what I think. My job today is to test you, to see if you have the mettle needed to become Chuunin, or if you are destined to die the lonely, pathetic life of a Genin. For any of you Konoha ninja who think that just because this exam is being held in your home town you've got it easy then I've got news for you. I don't give a shite what symbol you wear on your foreheads, here you are all equally worthless. I will give you one warning, and only one warning. If you disobey me in any way, if you so much as look at me in a manner I don't like, then I will bust your arses so fast it'll make your grandkids dizzy."

He stopped before a different Genin. The rather skinny boy bore a ragged scar curving under one eye and he wore no noticeable symbol of allegiance. "You!" Ibiki barked, causing the kid to jump. "You actually think you have the stones required to become a Chuunin?"

The boy tried and failed to look tough in front of the monster of a man. "Yes."

"Yes what, you skinny little turd?" Ibiki's voice snapped like a whip.

"Yes, sir!"

"Well I have news for you; only real men become Chuunin. Are you a real man, Genin?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Bullshite! I bet if I stuck my hand down your knickers I wouldn't find any hair, just traces of your old man's lipstick!"

The Jounin's head snapped round when he heard a snicker further up the line. He stormed along the length of the room, his large sandals thumping heavily on the ground, and stopped before a Konoha kunoichi. She wore her forehead protector around her thigh and her burnt orange hair fell to her hips. She stopped snickering the second she saw the thunderous look on his face.

"And just what the fuck are you laughing at, Ginger?"

"Nothing, sir!" the terrified girl stammered.

"It seemed as though you were laughing at me. Were you laughing at me, Fire Crotch?"

"No, sir!"

"You make one more sound without my express permission and I'll slap you so hard your freckles will hit the tarmac, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good!"

Ibiki paced before the large group of examinees, his hands clasped behind his back. His hateful dark eyes roamed over them, burning into them with their intensity. "I'll say this again for the hard of hearing. In these tests your proctor holds more power over you than your own Kage. If you fuck up we will fuck you up and send you home. You will not fight each other without our permission, you will not kill each other without our permission, but we are fair so you may kill _yourself_ without our permission as long as you don't break either of those first two rules, and if you do then we will drag your arse back to life and show you the proper way to die. Follow me!"

Ibiki spun on his heel and stormed towards the door, the Genin hurriedly grabbing their packs and struggling to catch up. He led them through the corridors of the abandoned building, down a flight of stairs, and though more corridors before they finally arrived at a pair of heavy, rusting steel doors. Taking an old brass key from his pocket the Jounin twisted, hearing a loud click. He threw open the doors and ordered them inside.

They trooped into a long chamber with a high ceiling made entirely of dull grey concrete. Along the length of the wall either side of them, spaced at regular intervals, were tall windows, barred on the outside. Directly across from them were a row of thirty steel doors, and above them was a walkway that led to another thirty. The air was cold and still, and the place had the uncomfortable feel of a prison.

They quickly fell into line as Ibiki stood before them. His entourage of moderators flanking him he addressed them all. "Behind me is your first test. A Chuunin's primary role is to work as part of a team to complete an objective, and when necessary to lead a squad to success. To do this you must have a sharp and open mind. You must be able to analyse any situation in at a moment's notice and immediately determined what threat, advantages, and potential problems you may encounter."

He held up an object in his hand. It looked like a normal padlock, except that the main body of it was cylindrical and instead of a dial or keyhole it had a number lock and a button on the side. It was quite formidable looking, and one could tell that it would be almost impossible to break.

"This is a standard issue military grade padlock with a revolving four-digit number lock. It's been put under every stress test there is and it's made of a special alloy that makes it harder than a rhino on Viagra. There are sixty doors behind me, more than enough for the fifty-five squads here. Through each of these doors is a room. Inside you will find another door with this lock preventing you from opening it. You will be locked inside for one hour. Your objective is to work out the combination. If you possess the skills we look for in a Chuunin then you will already know that combination. There are only two rules. Rule number one is that you may not damage the lock, the door, or the room itself. Any damage caused will result in immediate disqualification. Rule number two is that you may only input a combination three times. Three unsuccessful attempts will cause the lock to jam and you to be disqualified. Each squad to a door."

There was a small commotion as they did as ordered, and after a few moments of moving around each squad had their own door.

"Remember; a Chuunin must be a master analyst. If you are destined to become a Chuunin then you will already know the combination to those locks. If not then you have no business being here. You have one hour starting as soon as those doors lock behind you. We'll be waiting for the successful few on the other side. You may begin…now!"

With a tortured chorus of metal squeals sixty heavy rusting doors were pulled open and the Genin filed in, and as soon as the last of them crossed the threshold the doors slammed shut with a resounding bang, the internal locks sliding into place and locking them inside for one full hour.

* * *

The bang of the door slamming shut behind them was painfully loud in the confined space and it caused the members of Squad 9 to wince. The 'room' they had stepped into was little more than a cell, no more than three meters by three, and lit by a single bulb set behind a grill in the ceiling. A clock on the wall counted down the minutes they had left, and directly across from them was their test; a door identical to the one they had just entered through save for the solid lock keeping it sealed.

"So," Naruko said as she moved forward, bending over to examine the lock. "either of you know how we're going to solve this thing?"

Neji brought up a hand to stroke his chin as he circled around the side of her for a better look. His Byakugan was already active, staring hard at the lock. "It's as strong as Morino said it was. It can't be picked or broken, at least not by us. And the rules prevent us from breaking down the door or bursting through the wall, so the only route left to us is working out the combination."

"Aright!" Lee smashed his fist into his palm determinedly. "We know it is a lock with a number combination so we need to focus solely on numbers. The proctor implied that this task would focus on how well we notice things. So that would mean…"

"There are clues." Neji finished, nodding along thoughtfully. "So what could we have missed? They have to be either in or around this building. Lee, did you see anything that jumped out at you on the way in? Something that could be a clue?"

Lee thought about it, but shook his head. "No. There were a few signs on the notice board outside, but they were really old and I could hardly even read them. I don't think they were clues."

"Damn." Neji cursed quietly then lapsed into deep thought. The silence stretched on for a good twenty minutes of their precious time as each of them dug through their memories trying to remember anything that could possibly have been a clue. "Oh, come on!" Neji growled suddenly in agitation as he paced. "There's something we're not remembering! A number, we're looking for a special number! We have to have seen it! I must have been hidden, or disguised, or misplaced like–"

Naruko's eyes shot up and she snapped her fingers in realization. "Floor signs! The floor sign we saw earlier! It wasn't a mistake; it was a clue! It has to be!"

The boys looked at each other. Lee nodded excitedly. "That must be it! The first digit is three!"

Naruko dug out a notepad from the deep pockets of her fatigue trousers. Flipping it open she scratched down the first number of the combination. "Okay, what next?"

None of them knew what next. They wracked their brains trying to remember _something_ that stood out as a clue. It shouldn't have been this hard. The building was pretty bare with only the most minor of decoration or furnishings. They rattled off every single number they could remember seeing from the floor numbers to the room numbers but none of them stood out. The numbers they were looking for had to have a certain uniqueness to them, something that wouldn't stand out at first glance but would catch your attention if you looked close enough. All the while the clock ticked away the time they had left, and the more time that passed the more hopeless their situation seemed.

Lee looked up wearily from where he sat huddled against the wall. Neji was right across from him, couched on his haunches, his head bowed, and covering his face with his hands as if to block out any outside stimuli that could distract him. Naruko was sat against the door they were trying so desperately to get through, her knees drawn up to her chest. One of them was bouncing rapidly and her eyes were closed as she pressed the heel of her palm to her temple in concentration.

Lee bit his lip. "What…" he spoke for the first time in many minutes. "What if it's not just a number that was written down? Maybe it was something someone said or something?"

His team-mates stared at him with faces so devoid of expression that it caused him to shift and look away uncomfortably. They then looked at each other and groaned, their heads falling back against the walls. Could nothing ever be simple?

Naruko pressed her hands together. "Fine, let's look at it that way. I don't think it would have been anything the clerks at the administration office said because there was just too much said and that wouldn't be fair. The guards outside the classroom only asked us for out passes so I think that rules them out. That only leaves Ibiki."

Lee snorted. "It shouldn't be that hard to remember a clue in his speech; it was quite memorable."

"Okay." Neji pushed himself to his feet and began to pace again. According to the clock they had less that thirty minutes left or they'd fail. "What did he say? He got our attention and announced the beginning of the exam. He introduced himself, threatened us to obey the rules, and basically told us we were a waste of humanity. He belittled those two Genin then brought us to the chamber we were just in."

"Then he showed us the padlock." Naruko also began to pace. She shook her head. "No, he described the role of a Chuunin, giving us a hint on how to pass the test, _then_ showed us the padlock! He told us how it worked. He said there were sixty doors!" Then her face fell. "No, that wouldn't be a clue; there were sixty doors. I counted them."

Lee's head snapped up. "Kabuto!"

Naruko's face twisted. Was now really the time to bring up that greasy weirdo? "What about him?"

"He mentioned squads! When he made us his offer he mentioned how many squads there are! 'Fifty-two squads here' he said! They're the next two numbers!"

They both stared at him for a few seconds. Then Neji shook his head. "Yakushi Kabuto is a Genin. There's no way he'd be in on it."

Lee deflated, completely crushed. "Oh…"

Naruko groaned and fell back against the locked door. She slid down it and proceeded to bang her head against the steel. The steady _thump thump thump _filled the tiny room. There was also another sound right by her ear. The sound of something tapping against the door. Her head ceased it's banging and rolled in the direction of the noise. Her eyes fell on that damnable lock. Suddenly something clicked in her brain. Quickly, she twisted and began to examine the lock closely.

"Lee's right." she said lowly but with excitement. "Squads! That's the clue!"

Neji groaned with exasperated annoyance. "Kabuto is a _Genin_! He would not be in on it!"

"What he said wasn't the clue, but it was a clue to find the clue!"

Now both boys were confused and it showed.

"I wouldn't have noticed it if Kabuto hadn't said it. He said there were fifty-two squads here. He's a Genin like us and he wouldn't lie about something so mundane. But Ibiki would!"

"What are you talking about!" Neji near roared.

"When he showed us that padlock he told us how many door there were! He said there were sixty! _More than enough for the __**fifty-five**__ squads here!_ The next two digits are fifty-five!"

Neji blinked in realisation. "Of course. I tried to do a headcount in the classroom, but I only managed a rough one. Someone like Ibiki would expect a Chuunin to be able to notice how many people are taking the exam and be able to spot the hint hidden in his little speech! Of course!" He felt like slapping himself for not seeing it sooner.

Naruko pulled out the notepad and hastily began to jot down the numbers. They had three fourths of the combination now. They had twenty minutes to find the last piece of the puzzle. Things were starting to look up.

As she pulled the pencil away from the paper she stopped suddenly. She frowned in confusion, staring at the notepad. Something about what she had just said was playing in her mind, like a noise in the dark. It was there, you just couldn't see it nor did you know were it was. _'Ibiki. Something about Ibiki in that classroom…and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and numbers. Ibiki, classroom, and…'_

"Damn!" she cursed herself. "How did I not see it!"

"Naruko?" Lee asked.

"In the classroom on the blackboard! There were numbers! A few equations written down! I only remembered them because I was looking at them while Ibiki was giving his speech!"

"Argh!" Neji growled. "Damn it! Can either of you remember what they were?"

Naruko shoved herself to her feet. "No! Neji–Byakugan!"

But he was already moving. In two long strides he was pressed up to the wall, the veins around his eyes bulging. He squinted and pressed himself as flush to the wall as possible. "They're at the very edge of my vision, but I can see them."

"Ten minutes, guys." Lee reminded them worriedly, checking the clock.

Neji was peering hard at the far away equations as Naruko prepared to write them down. "Okay, the first one is: three divided by four to the power of–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naruko cut him off. "'To the power of'? How the hell do you write that?"

"I thought you knew math?" he snarled at her.

"I'm a self-taught street urchin, not a bloody mathematician!"

"Gimme that!" he roughly snatched the notepad and pencil from her and began jotting down the equations. Such was his haste that his usually impeccable penmanship was reduced to a barely legible squiggle.

He muttered to himself as he solved the equations. Naruko and Lee could only stand by helplessly and let him work. Naruko herself admitted she would be of no help, and Lee, while far from stupid, was still a few levels below the Hyuuga genius' impressive intellect.

Fortunately it didn't take him long. "Right. Out of the seven equations there are only four one-letter answers. We've got three chances to input the right combination into the lock before it jams and we fail, so we've got a good chance of passing."

"Give me the code." Naruko said as she kneeled before the padlock. She glanced at the clock. They had five minutes left.

Neji took a deep breath and gave himself a little shake. "Let's hope this works." he muttered. "Okay, first try the combination: **3-5-5-4**."

Naruko twisted the revolving dials. "Three…five…five…four. Done."

"Now press the button, if we're right it should open."

She placed her thumb on the button. Glancing up she saw her squad-mates crowding her, hanging over her shoulders. The tension in the room was suffocating.

She rolled her neck and returned her gaze to the lock. They had four combinations and three chances to get them right. Trying to mentally channel every ounce of luck she possessed, she clenched her eyes shut and braced herself. Her fingers tightened harshly around the lock. Her thumb jammed down on the button.

_CLICK!_

They nearly leapt out of their skin and the startlingly loud noise. Naruko yanked desperately on the lock.

It wouldn't budge.

"Shite!" she cursed, slamming her fist into the door.

Neji's brow furrowed. "Damn. We still have two more go's. Try the next one:** 3-5-5-5.**"

He glanced at the clock. Three minutes.

"Three…five…five…five. This better work." She rested her forehead on the doorframe, directly beside the lock and shut her eyes again. _'Please, please, please work!'_

She pressed the button.

_CLICK!_

This time it was Lee who roared in outrage and kicked the door with enough force to bruise his foot.

Naruko let go of the lock and dragged her hands through her hair. Her whole body was shaking and she had broken out into a clammy sweat. Her nerves were shot to hell and it didn't look like either of the other two were fairing any better. She rested her hands on the lock again and had to resist the urge to try and rip it off. "Next."

Neji also ran his hand through his hair, barely restraining himself from tearing it out. "**3-5-5-1.**"

Inputting the numbers this time with a little more difficult with her trembling hands. If this wasn't the correct combination then they will have failed not only the exam, but their sensei, and themselves as well. She wasn't religious, but at that moment she was praying to anything that would listen.

Her thumb hovered over the button. Air was rushing in an out of her lung at an ever increasing pace. Her lips rested against her hands clasped around the lock. She was muttering to herself. "Work…work…work…this _has _to be it…"

Her thumb rested on the button. Slowly, she began to increase the pressure on it in the tiniest increments possible. She could feel the sweat from her thumb on it, causing it to slide a little. The button began to depress–

"WAIT!"

Naruko let out a scream and started so bad the top of her head nearly hit Neji's jaw. Panting, she glared up at him, pissed as hell. "_What is your major malfunction, numb-nuts!"_

Surprisingly Neji too was panting and looking quite pale. "I don't think that's the combination." he admitted.

Her eyes were wide and wild. _"What?"_ she seethed, teeth bared. "We have–" she checked the clock and felt the bottom of her stomach drop. "_**one minute **_left and you choose _**now **_to be difficult?"

"I'm not being difficult, I'm trying to make the difficult thing simple! I don't think any of these answers are part of the combination!" he shouted.

"Then what!" she shouted right back.

"I don't think the answers to the equations are part of the combination; I think the _**number of equations**_ are! There were seven equations on that blackboard; I think _**seven **_is the final digit in the combination!"

"_What?"_

"No time to argue, just do it!" Lee urged quickly. They had thirty seconds.

Growling, Naruko did so. The shaking in her hands had increased, causing the lock to rattle. Her sweaty hands were slipping on the dial as she tried to turn it.

"_Hurry_." Neji pressed quietly, his eyes darting between the lock and the clock.

"Three…five…five…seven! Got it!" She wiped her hands on her trousers and grabbed the lock. Her thumb landed on the button and began to press–

"WAIT!"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Naruko bellowed. She rounded on Lee. "WHAT? WHAT IS IT?"

The poor boy was almost tripping over himself trying to explain. "I think the numbers are in the wrong order! Think about it; we saw the floor sign first, the equations second, then Ibiki mentioned the number of squads! That would make it **3-7-5-5 **not **3-5-5-7**! The combination is **3-7-5-5**!" he rushed out in one fast breath.

They had ten seconds.

Neji looked at Naruko. "It makes sense."

_Nine._

"ARGH!" She hastily began to redo the numbers.

_Eight._

Damn, the shaking was worse than ever.

_Seven._

"_Quickly!_" Lee groaned weakly into her ear, practically hugging her back.

_Six._

She input the first number. Her fingers were slipping on their own sweat.

_Five._

She input the second.

_Four._

"Hurry!" Neji's voice rose in panic.

_Three._

Her sweaty bandana had slipped down, partially obscuring her vision. She had no time to adjust it.

_Two._

"**Fuuuuck!**" The third number was in.

_One._

There! The last number!

_Zero._

Her thumb slammed down on the button.

_CLICK!_

* * *

**A/N: Jeez, my own heart is racing! I need to calm down. Breathe…breathe…**

**I know! I know! I'm late! I'm so so so sorry about that! I would give you my long winded explanation but I'm sure none of you really care about that. You want your story and that's why my A/N is down here at the bottom. The only thing I will say is that this chapter was a Queen-Mother Bitch to write. I went through twelve - that's right - TWELVE different drafts of this chapter before I found one I like and I'm not over sure I completely like the end product, but it's been too long and I wanted it out of the way.**

**A few answers to things people have been asking me.**

**First off the Big Question - No, I am not dead and neither is this story.**

**Secondly, people have been asking about Naruko's strength during the fight in the last chapter. You're right, she didn't use her full strength. The reason she held back a lot is because she knows she's a strong girl, stronger than most people, and finding out just how strong she is plus training to increase that strength made her wary of using it on another person. She knows how dangerous she could be, but she didn't want to kill any of the Hatchet Boyz so she held back, only briefly showing her full strength when she punched Kenta across the room.**

**Someone asked if Naruko would regenerate from Daiki's stab. Naruko only regenerates when she's actively using chakra. Since she has her chakra suppressed at all times unless she's using it (Since that would draw way too much attention) she was left to heal naturally. She has never used the self-healing before.**

**Tenten. These first few chapters were to establish the basis for Team Gai. The next few chapters, likely the next one in fact, will bring her in and establish her as one of the main characters in the story.**

**A lot of people have shown an interest of how military-focused my Narukoverse is. This is only the tip of the iceberg because in a couple of chapters you'll see my attempt on structuring Konohagakure like you would see in a real-world military. I've put a lot of time and effort into it and I'm really excited to see how people will react.**

**Lastly I want to thank you all for the MONUMENTAL feedback you've all been giving me and the patience you've shown. It really lets a writer know that their effort it worth something. So thank you all and please keep reading. I hope such a wait will never happen again.**

**Remember to review and tell me your thoughts (But not the dirty ones *glares sternly*).**

**May the fan-fiction be with you!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Masashi owns Naruto, I don't.

**A/N: I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but there's been a rather frightening amount of death in the family lately. I won't get into details and I won't lie and say that I was particularly close to those who died, but you can my dilemma (Or, at least, I hope you can.). The stress of travelling around the country and sorting things out coupled with being surrounded by so many people in mourning hasn't exactly left me feeling very write-y (See what I mean?).**

**On a much brighter note, however, I wish to extend my most sincere thanks and appreciation to my good friend **_Lanky-Nathan _**of Deviantart for his kick-ass fan-art of Naruko. You can see it over on his Deviantart page, a link to which will soon be appearing on my profile. You da man, **_Nathan_**.**

**CHAPTER 8**

"Arata."

"Sir?"

"Your watch."

Ibiki gave the Chuunin a obliged grunt as he took the proffered watch. It was an heirloom by the looks of it; old, battered silver that had seen better days but had been dutifully tended to and was still in as perfect working order as it had ever been. He'd thrown away his own after it had gotten damaged during the preparations for the test (He'd thrown it at a particularly clumsy underling).

Flicking open its engraved casing, he checked the time. One minute to the hour.

"How many so far?" he asked without looking up.

"Thirty-two out of the original fifty-two, sir."

Ibiki grunted again. He already knew as much; he was just making sure.

Four…three…two…one…zero.

He snapped the watch closed and handed it back to the Chuunin. This test was officially over. The ratty group of Genin lucky enough to pass were hovering in a scattered bunch near the exit doors, and turned as one at the distinctive sound of his heavy tread.

"The second test of this Chuunin Selection Examination is now over." he told them, one heavy hand held regally behind his back. "Congratulations, but if you think the hard part's over, then–"

One of the sixty doors of the test rooms suddenly flew open, dragging with it by her hand a yelping, lanky kunoichi in green fatigues. Her squad-mates tumbled out after her, all three of them landing in an undignified heap at Chuunin Arata's feet. Ibiki didn't have a register of the examinees at hand, but one of the Genin bore a strong resemblance to that freak Gai, so he had an inkling of who these knife-babies belonged to.

The Hyuuga was the first to detangle himself from the dog-pile. He was obviously embarrassed by his ungraceful fumble, but hid it beneath a façade of barely repressed irritation. The blush staining his pale cheeks ruined the bluff though.

"Did we make it?" he demanded of Arata. The Chuunin folded his arms and glared at the three teens.

"No." he said with cruel satisfaction.

Squad 9 winced, the single-word answer hitting them like a physical blow. They hung their heads, a near visible pall of defeat hanging over them.

Arata smirked and continued his mental assault. "You three are pathetic. Grab your kit and get out."

"Hold it right there, Chuunin."

Arata balked. "Sir?"

Ibiki stalked towards them. His heavy coat flared around his stomping feet and a deep scowl twisted the mishmash of scars mutilating his features. The effect was so terrifying that Arata fearfully took a few steps back.

"S-Sir?" he stuttered again.

"Watch." Ibiki ordered tersely.

"Wha–"

"Your watch, Arata!"

The Chuunin nearly leapt out of his skin as he rushed to comply.

Ibiki snatched it out of his hand and ordered another Chuunin forward. She handed over her own watch without a word and took a step back, out of the line of fire. Something had gotten the Interrogator-Jounin riled up and she wanted nothing to do with it.

Ibiki held up the two watches in his hands, his narrow, malicious eyes darting between the two in close examination. When he was done he silently handed the female Chuunin her watch back and turned to face Arata.

The younger man almost lost control of his bowels at the thunderous look on Ibiki's face.

"What is this, Chuunin Arata?" he asked. His voice was as deep as ever, like two tectonic plates rubbing together, and was completely devoid of anger or irritation. That scared Arata more than anything.

"A watch, sir." the Chuunin asked. He immediately flinched at how stupid he just sounded, and the slight narrowing of Ibiki's eyes didn't help.

"Yes, it is, Arata, but what is wrong with this particular watch?"

Arata's eyes flicked between the watch and the large Jounin looming over him. His face was exceptionally pale and his brow was dotted with perspiration. He licked his suddenly dry lips and wished dearly to be anywhere but here. He glanced to his fellow Chuunin for help, but they all looked away. He was on his own.

Half out of his mind with fear he answered truthfully and prayed to get out of this with his life. "I'm afraid I don't know, sir." he managed to utter with more bravery than he was feeling.

When Morino snapped the watch closed Arata instinctively recoiled as if he'd been stabbed.

Ibiki's voice was still alarmingly calm, never wavering above the tone of idle conversation. "This watch, Chuunin Arata, is four seconds slow. Did I not state, clearly and incontrovertibly, that all watches were to be synchronised to the second before the start of this test?"

By now Arata was shaking. "Sir, I admit that I may have been a few minutes late to the pre-test meeting, but–"

"But - nothing." Ibiki intoned with clipped enunciation. "I gave very simple, very precise orders, orders which I expected to be carried out to the letter, without fail. I didn't think it was unreasonable to expect a Chuunin of such good standing as yourself to be able to set their watch to the proper time, but I see I was mistaken."

"Sir…" Arata said pleadingly. Ibiki ignored him.

"This error on your part has greatly disappointed and embarrassed me, and I do not like being embarrassed, Chuunin Arata. As it stands you are temporarily relieved of duty. You will report to my office at first light tomorrow morning to receive your punishment detail, and a note will be added to you permanent file."

"Sir!" Arata cried out in dismay. The unfairness of it all had momentarily driven away his fear. "I know I made a mistake, but with all due respect, sir, I don't see what the big deal is!"

"The big deal, _Chuunin _Arata_,_" Ibiki grated out, "Is that I expect any duty I perform, be it leading an interrogation or a simple Chuunin Exam test, to be carried out with clockwork precision. Your ill-timed watch led me to believe the time limit had expired, which led me to call an end to the test before it was officially over. Those doors would have locked themselves if the time limit was up, therefore the only way for these three Genin to be standing here is if they had opened their door before time limit expired. _That_ is why you are being relived of your duties, and I'm sure you agree that you deserve punishment for your poor performance, _don't you?_"

"Sir, yes sir." Arata hung his head. He knew there was no arguing with Morino Ibiki and to try would only invite more pain when the time came. If he believed he deserved to be punished then that's what would happen. There was just no changing it. With a salute he turned and went to join the rest of the Chuunin. They didn't offer any sympathy or looks of commiseration, lest they earn Ibiki's ire themselves. As far as they were concerned, Arata brought this on himself.

"So…" the Gai look-alike said, breaking the heavy silence. Ibiki looked at him. "We pass?" the boy asked with tenuous hope.

Ibiki pursed his chapped lips, but answered, "You did."

The Genin smiled. It was obvious that only his imposing presence prevented them for voicing their glee. The small show of happiness ignited a burst of irritation in the Interrogator-Jounin.

"Well, what are you smiling about?" he snapped, scaring away their excitement. "Fall in before I disqualify you for wasting my time."

They knew not to press their luck. They snapped off a hasty salute and scurried off to join the rest of the thirty-two squads to have passed this test.

Ibiki stood before them all, towering and dominating. "Now that we have that little drama out of the way…"

* * *

To the students the Academy staffroom was a forbidden place where no one who ventured inside ever returned. To the staff, it was a blessed sanctuary, free of children or stress. While the room was a little dingy, the couch long worn out and the chairs hard and covered in itchy cloth, and while smelled strongly of years of nicotine addiction, it was a well known fact among the ranks that it also boasted one of the finest selections of free snacks, refrigerated meals and a seemingly never ending supply of caffeine to be found in the village. It was these little pleasures that kept the sensei happy and allowed them to retain what little sanity they had left.

So it was only natural that the Jounin-sensei, awaiting news of how their students faired in the exam, migrated to that little sanctuary to pillage it of all its delicious goodies while the Academy staff were busy with their classes. They would surely be in for a surprise when the lunch bell sounded.

"They're going to kill us." Yuuhi Kurenai said with assurance. She was perched in the window sill, a bowl of the last of the vanilla ice-cream in her hands. Despite her words, they didn't stop her from scooping a large spoonful into her mouth.

"We're hungry with nerves. They'll understand." Tano Tokemi said, unconcerned. She was stood beside the small microwave, watching the three tacos she'd put in slowly rotate on the glass dish.

Kakashi was sprawled out lethargically across the worn couch. He'd munched his way through three packets of biscuits and a smattering of crumbs littered his vest as evidence of his crime. He had one hand tucked behind his head and was casually pursuing his latest porn novel. Deciding to take a break, he let his head loll lazily towards Gai who was seated in the armchair nearest him. "How do you think they're doing?" he asked his old friend.

Gai sat back and sipped tea from a 'Mom of the Year' mug. "I'm sure they're doing fine." he said with confidence. "I don't expect any test given by Morino Ibiki to be easy, but those three of mine are unfailingly resourceful. I'll be surprised if all three don't make it to the finals."

"That might be stretching it a little." Asuma said with a bemused grin as he lit up another cigarette.

"Not at all. I've got a natural born prodigy, a genius of hard work and a girl who's just too stubborn fail." Gai added the last point with a laugh. "I can't wait to hear their stories of what they went through."

"You might not need to. Hello, Ibiki." Kakashi greeted airily as the large master-torturer entered the staff room. Returning his attention to his book he questioned, "How was the test?"

"Torturous." Morino snarked gruffly. He stomped over to the coffee pot and snatched it up, uncaring of the small queue that had already been waiting for their turn. Nobody was stupid enough to protest. "Over an hour babysitting potential enemy shinobi plus I had to give one of my Chuunin a reaming. This tastes like shit." he grimaced as he sipped, but didn't set the cup down. "And _you_, Ia. One of your idiot Genin tried to burn through his squad's door with a katon jutsu when the time-limit expired. Had to have two of my men drag them to the infirmary. I'll be sending him the bill."

Said Jounin rolled her eyes. Her bottom was perched on the small kitchen unit and she was cutting a swath through someone's private stash of chocolate she'd found in an old teabag tin. Empty wrappers littered the countertop beside her.

"How many squads passed?" one of the Jounin asked.

"Thirty-three out of fifty-two." Morino answered. "Most were ours, naturally."

"That many, huh?" Kakashi chuckled with amusement. He had to turn his head slightly to glance at Ibiki. "That's not like you, Ibiki. I half expected you to fail most of them before the test even began to thin down the numbers. What's wrong? Those cute little faces melt that block of ice where your heart's meant to be?"

The man gave a great dirty snort. "Hardly. We had an unusually gifted batch this year."

"It's to be expected." Kurenai mused as she licked the last traces of ice-cream from her spoon. "Just look at how many clan heirs we have taking part. Plus, didn't I hear that the Kazekage sent his own children to take part? Kind of odd for a Kage to send his progeny to a Exam outside of their own village, don't you think?"

"He's boasting. Want's to show us up at our own Chuunin Exam by having his kids steal the show. He probably thinks it'll bring more revenue to Suna." Asuma snorted. "God knows they need it."

"Friggin' sand fleas." someone muttered derisively. A few others murmured in agreement.

"Speaking of our 'honoured' guests," Ibiki added in a low tone, "It should be noted that those three little sneaks from Oto passed with flying colours."

The Jounin all exchanged dark looks, the atmosphere suddenly becoming rather less convivial.

Tokemi shook her head. "Still can't believe the Hokage let them compete."

"He didn't exactly have a choice. The CEC had a say in it as well, remember."

"Yeah, but he could have appealed their decision. Lodged a complaint. There's got to be some rule against new villages taking part on such short notice. Hell, we don't even know where Oto is!"

"Or who runs it." a female Jounin spoke up near the window.

"What _do_ we know about Oto?" Asuma suddenly asked.

Ibiki swallowed a mouthful of coffee before he answered. "Yamanaka had a few sweepers scour their hotel suite when their sensei was called away to deal with a 'discrepancy in their paperwork'." he grinned savagely at the minor deception. "It didn't turn up much. Apparently they specialise in sound or vibration based jutsu. Those Genin must be smart too; we found a few scrolls in their belongings. Looked like some unfinished jutsu; complex ones as well. Whatever this 'Otogakure' is, these little shits must be some of their best."

Ia grunted. "I don't like it. We should just do them in to be on the safe side."

"Now, now, there's need for that." Gai said placatingly. "We don't even know Oto's intentions. For all we know they could be potential future friends and allies."

Kakashi snorted. "Speak for yourself. The only people I'm interested in being friends with come from the Fire Country."

"Hear, hear!" a few Jounin spoke up.

"You're starting to sound like that old hellhound, Danzou." Asuma warned slyly.

"Maybe he has it right?" Kakashi offered. "Hell, look at Suna. We're allies with them, but we all know they resent us. The current treaty limits their list of prospective clients and they hate us for it. When the time comes to renew it, they'll demand we limit our operations in the Wind Country and if we don't, which is what'll likely happen, they'll break away from the alliance and go back to being our enemies. Face it: there's no such thing as an eternal peace, only temporary neutrality."

"How impassioned of you, Kakashi." Gai mocked with a look of surprise at his friend. He'd never known him to be so philosophical.

Kakashi shifted a bit and returned to his book. "Yeah, well I'm with Tokemi. We should just snuff 'em and have done with it."

"That's what I said to the Hokage." Ibiki broke in. "I told him we could snatch them during the next test, take a couple of vat-grown stiffs from the gene-labs and make it look like they got mauled by one of the other Genin squads. No one would have been any the wiser. He didn't go for it though. He said he didn't want to risk upsetting Oto and the CEC."

"He's got a point there." Kurenai grimaced. "A censure from the CEC is like a death sentence for the village that pissed them off. Nobody wants to hire shinobi from a rogue shinobi village after all."

Asuma grunted as he stubbed out his smoke and immediately lit up another. "Well, we can always hope they actually do get mauled during the exam. Who's got them for the next test again?"

"Mitarashi Anko."

Quite a few people winced and hissed through their teeth at the name.

Ia laughed with little sympathy. "Ha! Oh, I'd hate to be them right now."

Kurenai looked around. "Am I missing something here?"

Gai was the one to clue her in. "Spec. Jounin Mitarashi is Ibiki here's 2IC in the Torture and Interrogation Unit. Unfortunately, she has a bit of a reputation for being a tad…"

"Fucked up. What?" Kakashi shrugged uncaringly at Ibiki's dirty look. "The girl's cracked in the head, Ibiki. Even you have to admit it. And it's not like she denies it either."

"Morino here is the only one besides the old man who can control her." Asuma told Kurenai, jerking his head towards the torturer. "She won't listen to anyone else."

"What a minute; I've heard of her." Toji, a particularly rotund Jounin, snapped his fingers. "Wasn't she, like, the Sannin Orochimaru's only student or something?"

"Yeah. Left with him when he defected as well. Found her a few months later on a beach with no memory of what happened or where he went. Or so she says."

"Left her with nothing but some weird fuuin on her shoulder and a mind more bent than a Kiri salesman." Tokemi added.

"Such a shame, too, you seen the body on her? Ah! What the hell woman?" Asume demanded. Kurenai had bounced her spoon of his head.

"Stop being a pig." She shot him a cutting glare, and to the shock of many that knew him Sarutobi Asuma actually looked abashed at himself.

Kakashi snickered, not looking up from his book. "Be careful what you say about her. Old Ibiki's quite protective of her." The terrifying man in question was scowling at them, his expression growing steadily darker with each comment about his 2IC.

Tokemi, who was closest to him, quickly inched away.

Kakashi suddenly perked up when the lunch bell sounded. "That's us. We better scoot and let the Academy staff have their break room back."

With that the group broke apart and headed for the door. The halls were filled with the ruckus of children running either to the mess hall or the training yards. The Jounin nodded to the weary teachers, a few clapping them on the shoulders as they passed by.

It had been a gruelling day for the staff what with it being a Friday and the commotion of the Chuunin Exam test taking place out on the grounds, generating an excitement amount the students. It had been hard to get them to focus on anything. Thankfully they had forty-five minutes of child-free time before they had to go back and sit through three more hours of hell before the kids were let out for the weekend. They were a little surprised by the parade of Jounin emptying out of their staff room, but paid little mind to it.

That is, until they stepped inside.

"What the hell?"

"Those bastards ate all of our food!"

"Look at the mess!"

"My lunch!"

"My smokes!"

"_The coffee's all gone!"_

Out for blood, they rushed back out into the hallway, kunai in hand.

…only to find the group of Jounin nowhere in sight.

* * *

The new proctor's name was Mitarashi. Aside from the fact that she was Morino's second-in-command they didn't know anything about her.

As soon as the testing group was relieved to her, they were marched outside where several high, canvas-covered wagons were waiting for them, crewed and pulled by teams of Chuunin. They were ordered inside, nine to a wagon, and it wasn't long before they took off with a jarring lurch, making surprisingly good speed through the dusty Konoha streets.

Naruko cursed as the wagon hit another bump, causing her head to smack off the wooden partition she was squashed against. The wagon was not particularly spacious, and the press of so many bodies in such a confined space had caused the ambient temperature to shoot up, causing them to sweat even in the cool Autumn weather.

Two wooden benches lined the inside of the wagon and even without the bulky kits each Genin carried it would have been a tight squeeze. Lee was sat right across from her and their knees kept knocking together. If that wasn't bad enough, the cumbersome pouches attached to the webbing harness she wore forced her to perch right on the very edge of the unforgiving bench, causing her to wince every time the wagon hit an uneven part of the street. Since it was nine people to a wagon, meaning that one bench would have a person more than the other, it meant that she enjoyed even less room to manoeuvre than her squad-mates, and, to add the proverbial cherry on top of her sucky sundae, she was sat beside a unfairly fat Suna Genin who was apparently doing his best to squash her into Uzumaki flavoured jelly.

Neji was sitting one person down from Lee. He was as packed in as the young Green Beast was, but compared to her the bastard was all but reclining comfortably in his seat. He kept shooting her glances, smirking that damn smirk of his.

She wished she had the leg room to kick him.

For lack of anything else to do, and to distract herself from the sweaty Suna shinobi's laboured breathing, she closed her eyes and tried to work out the route the wagons were taking.

It wasn't difficult. The streets were unnaturally quiet, leading her to believe they had been cleared for the wagons' procession, but she noticed the little things that only a native of the village would notice. She knew she heard the distinctive tinkling of many bells, meaning they were passing the Washu Temple off Old Vale Avenue. They must have turned east after that because she could smell the strong scent of cinnamon that she'd come to associate with Mrs. Ijii's bakery; then the cries of many birds, telling her they were just passing the Aviary that housed the village's messenger birds. The wagon rattled down the wide stairs beside the Konoha Green, the village's largest public park, and Naruko winced each time she cracked her tailbone off the edge of the wooden bench. She'd have bruises by the morning, she was sure. They took a few more turns after that, followed by a long procession down the narrow streets in the residential areas, before they came to a sudden stop. They looked at each other, wondering if this was their stop, but they heard the voice of their proctor shouting something, then the squeal of an metal gate being opened. Then the wagons started moving again.

"Nrgn!" Naruko grunted in pain. A rattle more intense than anything before it shook the wagon, almost sending her careening forward into Lee's lap. He help her back into her bench and shot her a look.

In a low voice, quiet enough for only her to hear, he said, "We're heading into the forest."

* * *

Officially the expansive forest that concealed Konoha from the rest of the world had no name. On the majority of maps it was depicted as an imposing black void superimposed by a spiral-leaf under the words 'restricted area'. Some of the other hidden villages had slightly more detailed maps showing a vague outline and one or two landmarks, but nothing that would help a scout or spy navigate the land. Not even the archives in the capital city contained many references to the area, only that it was immeasurably secret, zealously guarded, and that before Konoha's rise the land had belonged to the Yamakaka-Nara-Akimichi coalition. Those that lived near its fringes gave it many names. In Otafuku Gai they simply called it 'Konoha Forest' since they had at least some experience with the shinobi who dwelled there, whereas the more superstitious peoples of the small fishing villages that lined the coast referred to it as the 'Shadow Country' due to its impressive size and secrecy, and whenever the militant samurai referred to it in their records it was merely known as 'HV-K'.

Only the people of the forest, who had dwelled there for generations and were regarded with as much mystique as their home itself, knew its proper name: Konoshi, the Forest of Hidden Leaves.

In size, it was massive. For dozens of kilometres in every direction it spread out, sweeping up over the network of low mountain-hills and down into shallow valleys which surrounded the village, broken only by the occasional jutting rock or mountain stream. The trees themselves were just as impressive. They appeared similar to bonsai trees taken to insane proportions, some of the oldest being over a hundred meters in height, making the forest appear even grander than it already was. The only known paths through it were the three merchant roads that allowed passage to and from the village. These roads were heavily monitored and it wasn't an uncommon occurrence for travellers to be searched more than once before they even got within sight of Konoha. This borderline paranoid security was one of the reasons the forest was avoided, only those with pressing business with the shinobi village being brave enough to risk the journey.

To the civilian population it was a place of wonder and fantasy.

To the military world it was one of the mightiest and most impregnable fortresses in the known world, and was one of the chief reasons Konoha was so feared.

Hidden beneath the leaves and boughs of Konoshi the land had been carefully riddled with defences painstakingly constructed over the course of three major wars and innumerable smaller conflicts. Hidden bunkers lay buried beneath the earth while bubble-shaped watchtowers made from the strongest timber had been skilfully constructed into the highest branches of the tallest trees, completely invisible to all but the keenest eyes, and connected by an encrypted radio and psionic relay network which linked them to the village and each other. Miles upon miles of mono-wire hung suspended between the trees like the metal thread of a spider, the slightest twinge of which would bring down a heavy log needled with spikes or detonate a nail bomb which had been secreted into the underbrush, and thin, leafy coverings covered deadly pitfalls filled with the impaled bones of those who had tried and failed to pierce Konoshi's defences in the past. It had not been unheard of for an enemy to try and bypass the forest by flying over it, but that, too, was not an option. In concealed emplacements in the mountains, large AKUMA weapon platforms watched the skies ready to shoot down anything larger than a messenger hawk with shuriken the size of the Shack, and deadly HIIKA launchers were poised to pepper the forest bellow with their 'murder hail' kunai-bolts. All of this was supplemented by mortars, minefields, incendiary traps, genjutsu shrouds, the local flora and fauna which were every bit as deadly as anything that Konoha's shinobi had added to Konoshi, and a thousand fold other death traps. These mighty fortifications were maintained and controlled by an elite division of the village forces devoted solely to patrolling the forest and ensuring its utter impenetrability. In Konoha's long and bloody history no opposing force had ever penetrated Konoshi's vicious defences.

It was truly a shame, Naruko would later muse, that she live to see that impressive record come to such an abrupt and bloody end. But as Gai had once told her; there was always a lesson to be learned in failure, and she would learn well in the coming conflict the lesson of treachery.

* * *

Naruko stared at the warped vision rearing above them, barely contained by the rusting chain links of the fence that encircled it, her mouth slightly agape with shock. "What… How is this real?"

Beside her Lee could offer no explanation. He shook his head, looking quite horrified. "This…this is terrible."

"No." Neji shook his head. "This was deliberate."

"Who in their right mind would want _this?_" Lee muttered.

Before either of his squad-mates could offer an explanation the moderators were calling for them to fall in.

One of the Chuunin stood before them, a clipboard tucked against the neatly pressed folds of his stark grey uniform. At his side, her hands shoved into the deep pockets of her heavy coat, was the proctor, Mitarashi. A woman of short stature and muscular build, one could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't the type that was afraid to get her hands dirty. A few scars covered her exposed legs, and an especially ragged-looking one that appeared to have been left by a kunai ran from behind her left ear and down her collarbone. It was likely she had more, but what little of her wasn't hidden by her slightly ill-fitting coat was sleeved into a skin tight mesh bodysuit which left her generous bosom bared to the world, a fact which she didn't even seem to notice. Such blatant exhibitionism might have inspired a bawdy remark from one of the braver Genin had it not been for the way she stared at them, eyes slightly wide and holding a noticeable glimmer of mania in their pupil-less brown depths. The heel of her right sandal tapped a speedy tempo in the grass. It was obvious she'd much rather be anywhere but here.

The Chuunin cleared his throat to get their attention. "Welcome to the second task of the Chuunin Selection Exams. By making it this far you've done both yourselves and your villages a great honour, one which you should be proud of."

Mitarashi shot him a bored, glassy-eyed look. Clearly she didn't see the need for his pointless praising. Feeling her gaze boring into the side of his head he coughed awkwardly and rushed on.

"While the first task demonstrated you ability to observe and gather information from your surroundings, this second task will show us your ability to operate under live-fire conditions. To that end for the next several days you will be taking part in a war game."

There was an excited commotion amongst the Genin. Neji and Lee looked at each other, smirking in anticipation. Naruko grimaced slightly.

"The fence behind us marks the boundary of the testing zone: TG-15. Though it may not the be one that was originally suggested," He glanced sidelong at Mitarashi, "It will provide more than a significant challenge for you. Your objectives are simple. This TG has a diameter of roughly ten kilometres. At the centre of those ten klicks is a tower. Using only the kit you brought with you and whatever you can scavenge in the TG you must get to that tower before the time limit expires. You'll have a total of a hundred and sixty-eight hours in the zone; that's seven whole days. If you're not inside that tower by sundown on the seventh day the doors will close and you automatically fail."

"That's it?" A girl Naruko recognised as one of the kids that had been talking to that sneak Kabuto whispered to her squad-mate. "Pfft! Some test."

"If you had let me finish, Miss Yamanaka," The Chuunin said coolly, causing the young kunoichi to squeak in embarrassment and attempt to hide behind her much larger companion. "I was going to add that to gain entrance to the tower you must provide tribute."

"What kind of tribute?" Yamanaka's other squad-mate asked curiously.

"_Captives_." Mitarashi suddenly hissed from the Chuunin's side. Her thin lips were pulled into a lopsided smile, giving her the striking resemblance to some vicious reptilian predator who'd found its next meal. Her chilling interruption had startled many, none less than the Chuunin at her side who flinched so severely that he nearly dropped his clipboard. He blushed furiously as several people sniggered, including his own colleagues.

"Hrmph, yes!" He cleared his throat hastily in a poor attempt to cover his fumble. "For the duration of this test one man on each squad will be tagged with a single marking inked onto their forearm. For each squad your primary goals are to protect your marked man while simultaneously attempting to capture another squad man. Let me make this explicitly clear right now: those bearing this marking are _untouchable_. You may use sufficient force to restrain and capture your target, but under no circumstances is a marked man to be killed, even if you already have a captive. A breach of this rule will mean immediate disqualification to the offender and his or her squad so you best damn well mind who you're throwing you kunai at in there. The rules are simple: your entire squad must make it to the tower alive and within the time limit. Once the test has begun you may not leave the boundaries of the TG until it is over unless we deem you unable to continue. You break any one of those rules and you're out, no if's, and's or but's. Any questions?"

"What're the rules of engagement?" An Ame shinobi asked as his fingers played with the razor edge of a kunai.

The moderator grinned a slightly bloodthirsty grin. "Go nuts. Besides the marked men everyone else are just bags of meat. You can maul each other to your demented little hearts' content."

That got a few dark chuckles out of the group.

"Spec. Jounin Mitarashi here will give you a brief overview of what you can expect inside the TG. Ma'am?"

The Chuunin stepped away, allowing his senior to 'take the floor'.

For several long seconds it seemed as though she hadn't heard him. Mitarashi stood as if in a daze, absently chewing her lip with a somewhat vacant look in her murky brown eyes. The silence stretched on and the Genin began to shuffle uncomfortably, shooting confused glances at each other. The Chuunin with the clipboard also looked uncomfortable. He looked back at the group of moderators standing at attention behind them, but they just shrugged, offering no help at all. He was about to step forward and tap the Spec. Jounin on the shoulder when she suddenly started to speak.

"Snakes," she began, her slightly gravely voice coming out in a low hiss that curled off her tongue, "Are wonderfully diverse creatures. They exist, in some form or another, in every climate across the world, from the dunes of the Wind Country to the marshes of the Water Isles. They live in the trees, in the dirt, and even in the water. Some are poisonous; others not. Some are small and innocuous; others large enough to swallow a man whole and shatter his bones to dust with the force of their bite. Some can glide; some can swim; they can spit venom and can even attack up to an hour after death. They are some of the most proficient predators in nature's creation, but they each share a single key trait: all snakes know the virtues of patience and cunning. When approached they run; they hide; they play dead, but only when their prey let its guard down for that rare split second to they lash out, striking hard, fast and taking their target completely by surprise."

She paced slowly before the twin ranks of Genin, her armoured legs swinging with every casual step. "Shinobi and serpents are startling in their similarities. We come from vastly different territories with vastly different skills, but the story is still the same. Our battles are just as much psychological as they are physical. If you want to survive this test then you will have to keep your heads about you and unshackle the restraints on your minds. Watch, plan, wait, and only in that single perfect moment when you have complete and total advantage over your enemy, only then do you strike."

"The single purpose of this test is to drag you to the very edge of death and see if you can claw your way back. Every facet of this exercise has been engineered around that goal. The TG behind me is just as much a predator as any snake and if you allow your resolve to waver even for a second it will devour you mind, body and soul. Remember that."

With that said Mitarashi spun on her heel and sauntered off. There was nothing more to be said.

The Chuunin with the clipboard cleared his throat as he moved forward once again. "When I call your squad you will proceed into that hut where you will sign the necessary paperwork and one of you will be marked. Konohagakure's Genin Squad 19 under Jounin-sensei Fusa Toji, step forward…"

* * *

Neji spat out a curse, his flared Byakugan eyes staring deep into the gloom of the TG.

"Bad?" Lee asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"Bad.

"Big?" Naruko asked from over his other shoulder.

"Big.

"How big?"

"Very big. As far as I can see. The entire TG, most likely."

Naruko looked at Lee. "That's big." she said, feeling a little light-headed.

Gate 7-b was a half-rusted doorway set into the southern section of TG-15's immense perimeter fence, keeping anything from wandering in. Or, rather, keeping TG-15 from getting _out_.

TG-15 was a forested zone, but only in the barest, most opaque form of the word. It's ancient denizens were warped imitations of the grandiose bonsai-esque monoliths of Konoshi, their bark a sickly purplish-grey and their twisted limbs tangled and thorny with not a single leaf to their number. Despite the stark lack of canopy, the precious little sunlight that managed to pierce the gloom beneath the jagged roof of the forest illuminated little but wild, untamed underbrush and shadows of things moving unseen between massive sprawling root beds. This was a corpse-forest; a natural bone yard.

"Husk-rot." Lee said, gazing up at the great dead trees. "But I've never seen an infestation on this scale. If it really does run through the entire TG…this was no accident. It takes weeks for an infestation to completely rot a tree. Someone should have noticed."

"I'll wager they did, they just didn't care." Naruko said. "They wanted it this way. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd helped speed up the process."

"This changes things a bit." Neji dusted off his knees as he rose, his Byakugan dormant once more. "Tree-hopping is out. We're not risking those branches. We go in dirt-level."

"That will slow us down." Lee warned.

"Yes, it will."

Suddenly, the rusting cone of the tannoy mounted above the gate came to life with a tortured squeal. The voice of their proctor, slightly distorted by static, echoed out across the vast woodland.

_*Sixty seconds before those gates pop, kunai-bait. Get your kit checked and squared away. If you've got prayers better say 'em now.*_

Neji gathered his inky curtain of hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, securing it with a rubber band. "We head straight for the tower and rendezvous two klicks in. I'll be on point; Uzumaki, you're behind me; Lee, bring up the rear."

"Possible hostiles?" Naruko asked as she checked the rig holding her kit in place.

"None in the immediate vicinity, but that doesn't mean much. The TG is a big place and my Byakugan only has a range of fifty meters. Keep your eyes open."

"Afraid something might slip past your 'all-seeing eyes'?" Lee asked cheekily.

Neji shot him a level glare. "Never."

The Green Beast chuckled as he tightened his wrist wraps. "How do you want to play this?"

"SOP. The foreign squads will be rushing on ahead to establish positions and most likely set up ambush points. The other Konoha squads will move slow, like us."

"Unless they're crazy enough to risk tree-hopping." Naruko muttered darkly, gazing up into the TG's canopy.

"If they do then that's just one less potential problem we have to deal with." Neji said brutally.

*_Ten seconds. Remember: one you secure your package make for the tower ASAP. You have seven days, boys and girls, make them count.*_

The amber light above the gate began to flash. As one, Squad 9 each drew a kunai, black and cold, from their thigh-pouches and held them firmly in a reverse-grip at their sides.

Lee looked at Naruko's back. He couldn't see her face but could easily read the tension in her shoulders. "You ready for this?" he asked, tactful enough to keep his voice to a confidential whisper.

She breathed out slowly. "Yeah."

"Your first time going up against shinobi. It's a big step up from bandits and low-rent mercs."

She nodded. "I know."

He stared at her with a solemn gaze for a long moment before slapping her on the shoulder and saying with confidence, "You'll be fine. Whatever happens in there I've got your six."

She turned and shot him a grateful and heartfelt smile. "Thanks Lee."

A strong breeze washed through the clearing as the buzzer counted off the last remaining seconds. The amber light flashed three more times then, with a sound that was echoed a hundred times around TG-15's perimeter, the corroding metal weight of the gate flew open with the pained screech of poorly maintained hinges. A black cloud of birds leapt into the air, cawing and squawking with fright.

His long tail of hair fluttering in the wind Neji turned. The menacing white stare of his active Byakugan cut them to the soul. "It's time."

* * *

"Blasted midges." Lee hissed as he slapped the back of his neck, squishing another of the little bloodsuckers with cruel satisfaction. The pests seemed to thrive in the humidity of the TG and each and every one of them seemed to want to suck the Youth right out of him.

Naruko cast a glance over her shoulder. "Problem?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

"Don't get smart with me, Uzumaki. Just because no insects seem to bother you." he hissed back.

She shrugged. "What can I say? Bugs have always avoided me for some reason. Suck it up."

"Easy for you to say; you're not the one being eaten alive. Oh, for the love of–die, you insufferable little beastie!" Another bug was swatted.

_*Will you two shut up back there?* _Neji's voice growled through the ear buds of comm-radios strapped around their throats. He was a little ahead of them, effortlessly weaving a path through the dense foliage.

Naruko shook her head. Automatically, she let her ice-blue eyes trace over their surroundings searching for any sign of…anything, really.

One thing that had become startlingly obvious was that 'underbrush' was too lenient a term for the thickets of plant life that covered the forest floor. So thick that visibility was limited to a few meters and tall enough that they almost completely blocked out even the massive trees, a person would think they were in a jungle and not a forest at all. They had to be careful, too. They had been quick to notice that nearly every second plant or bush they passed just so happened to be, in one way or another, harmful to humans, if not outright deadly.

Neji smoothly sidestepped a colourful plume of flowers. Their sweet-smelling, bell-shaped blossoms tracked him almost yearningly as he passed by.

It was surreal, Naruko thought. Like being shrunk down and wandering through someone's feral back garden. The fact that some of the plants they passed by could rival or even outdo the Shack in size only emphasised the feeling.

_*I doubt we'll be seeing many foreign squads in here.* _Lee was mindful enough to stick to the radios. _*Most of these plants are native only to Konoshi. I doubt many of them know what to watch out for.*_

*_Don't count on it._* Neji's whisper crackled back. _*The leaders of the other villages wouldn't let their best Genin embarrass them like that. They probably fed them every bit of intel they had on Konoha. I doubt they know every threat to watch out for, but I wouldn't count them out so easily.*_

Scrambling over a tall root, they slid down into a narrow ravine-like depression that wormed its way between the trees. Naruko almost cried out when what she thought to be a brightly coloured leaf suddenly sprouted wings and took off into the air with a startling buzz.

_*Everything looks clear up ahead.*_ Neji sent._ *Lee?*_

_*Nothing back here.*_

_*Uzumaki*_

_*I can't see a damn thing. The foliage is too thick and the terrain too uneven. Feels more like I'm mountain climbing than walking through a forest.*_

_*Zip it with the complaints. You don't like pain then you shouldn't have become a kunoichi.*_

_*I wasn't–*_

Once again, Lee was forced to play peacemaker. _*Are we going to finish this test or do you two need to stop for some couple's therapy?*_

The two grumbled but thankfully let the matter drop.

Lee shook his head. Seven days with these two. Remaining a Genin was beginning to look more and more appealing.

* * *

They eventually came upon a small glade which the chocking plant growth had failed to overrun. The tormented branches high up in the overstory were especially thick here, plunging the clearing into a half-darkness. At some point during a storm however long ago a bolt of lightning had struck one of the branches and it now lay across the scrub, covered in years of accumulated moss and fungi. The air was hot and still.

Neji was shrugging off his heavy pack. "We'll break here. We'll continue on for a few hours and make camp before it gets dark."

Naruko sighed as she sat with her back against the fallen branch. Most of her kit was attached to her rigging and it was too much bother to try and get it off. Pulling her canteen from its pouch she took a long dreg, pouring some into her hand and using it to wash the sweat from her face.

Lee plopped down beside her, his own canteen in hand. "So how do we go about this, then?" He asked aloud between sips. "Do we go for Konoha squads, foreign squads, rookies, what?"

"To early to say." Neji said as he crouched in the scrub. He was gazing up at the few thin shafts of light that managed to stab through the crooked roof of the forest. "Wait until we set up camp, then we can scout the area and see which squads are operating in this part of the TG. "But," he sighed, "I think we should hold off on going after any Konoha squads. We have no idea on what they'll be marking us on. Targeting a squad from our own village may come back to bite us."

"They didn't say we couldn't go after them."

"They didn't say anything at all. That's what worries me. All of that 'don't look at what's there, look at what's not there' stuff Gai keeps going on about." He scratched the back of his head. His fine locks had become shiny with a light film of sweat and grime. "If they attack us then all bets are off, but until then let's just take things slow."

"Fair enough." They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. For several minutes nothing was said. He glanced at Naruko and saw her fiddling with something in her hands. "What's that?"

"The card I took from that Yakushi guy." She said, holding up the offending item.

"That Kabuto fellow?" Lee asked with a grunt. "The nerve of him. I still can't believe that he had all that intel on us when we've never even met." He tried to grab her card but she held it at arm's length, out of his reach. "Does Naruko have something on her card she doesn't want us to see?" he inquired amusedly.

She smirked to hide her discomfort. "A girl's got to have her secrets, Lee."

"Secrets!" He snorted, but without scorn. "No offence, Naruko, but how interesting could your 'secrets' be?"

She almost burst out laughing. "Not very." She tucked the card away again.

"Thought so."

She chuckled and closed her eyes as she let her head rest back against the branch. She turned her face towards him to ask him something when suddenly Lee leapt on top of her, shoving her to the ground. "Lee, what the–" her voice died when she saw the three kunai embedded in the wood where her head had been. "Ho–"

"Ambush!" Neji screamed. He was already on his feet and moving. "Move! Get behind the branch!"

Kunai, dozens of them, perhaps even hundreds, tore through the glade at a startling velocity, so fast that they barely registered even to Neji's keen eyes. They ripped through the foliage, shredding everything in sight and filling the air with a thick haze of sap and pulverized vegetation.

Lee yanked her off the ground. Still holding onto each other they tumbled over the branch, kunai whizzing by so close that Naruko felt them plucking at her fatigues. They crashed in a heap on the other side, almost landing on Neji. He was huddled against the dead wood, trying to keep his head down.

He had to shout to be heard over the din roaring through the glade. "Twelve o'clock, on high! Top of that fungal growth! Bas-argh!" He flinched as a large chunk of bark near his head was torn free, showing him with bits of wood. "Bastard has a kunai launcher!"

"You think?" Naruko snarked.

"How did a Genin get his hands on one of those?" Lee hollered. "Better yet, how can he even carry it?"

"You can ask him when we get our hands on him!"

One of the kunai ricocheted off a rock and embedded into the ground by Naruko, forcing her to pull her leg back lest she loose a foot. This kunai was smaller than usual, slimmer with three blades and instead of a handle there was a short shaft with a weighted metal ball at the end to act as a counterbalance.

"How the hell did he slip past your eyes?" Lee was shouting to Neji.

The pale teen risked a peek over the fallen branch and it nearly cost him his scalp. "He's caked in some kind of mud! It's masking his chakra, I can't see him!"

"The one time those eyes would be useful!" Naruko shouted in disbelief.

Neji was about to reply when his eyes flew wide and the kunai in his hand swung up. It connected with something in a tiny burst of sparks. Lee's head jerked to the side as the deflected senbon flew by her face. His arm a blur, Neji frantically tried to parry the shower of needles raining down on him.

"We're pinned!" Lee's panicky voice cried out.

Naruko tried to push herself into a better sitting position when her hand suddenly plunged into something cold and marshy. She looked down. Water was seeping up through the earth directly beneath them. It took her mind a few seconds to connect the dots. Her yelled warning came too late.

Seemingly with minds of their own, thin tendrils of water shot up from the ground. Snapping and cracking the air like whips they lashed the startled members of Squad 9 to the thick, kunai-peppered bulk of the branch. They fought viciously against their bonds, but it was futile. The water-ropes were unbreakable.

A figure dropped to the ground before them. In the gloom of the glade it was hard to make out any discerning features until he was standing right over them. As Neji had said, their attacker was covered head to toe in some kind of dark mud, but the metal plate half-hidden beneath the figure's wide kasa was unsullied.

The plate was featureless save for four vertical lines engraved into its non-reflective surface.

"Ame." Neji growled.

"Very good, Hyuuga." The older teen said as he stopped before them. He was tall and lanky, and if Naruko had to guess she'd say that beneath all that mud he was only a few years older than they. She could just make out the shape of several senbon launchers strapped to his forearms, and pouches no-doubt containing more of the needles nestled at his hips.

Something heavy landed on top of the branch. Straining her neck, Naruko looked up to see another Ame Genin perched above them. He was laughing in satisfaction. "That was easier than I thought it'd be."

"Yes, it was." A deeper voice this time, strongly accented. It was the one with the kunai launcher. He was much bigger than either of his two squad-mates, most of his size being made of muscle. He came stomping around the branch carrying the cumbersome form of the kunai launcher. It was an old model, Kiri-issue, belt-fed from the bulky bergen on his back. That made sense. Amegakure was notorious for the abilities of its scavengers to repurpose captured equipment. The one this young man carried was swathed in camo-cloth but what little she could see of it looked to be in good condition. It was so heavy that it required the trigger to be on the top and an handle just so its operator could lift it.

He didn't seem to have any problem with the weight, however. Not with the way he casually turned to point it at Lee's face. His bare arms rippled with muscle even beneath the thick coat of mud.

The one perched on the branch was having the time of his life. He was still sniggering like an idiot. "Oh, Abe, look at this kid's eyes." he cackled as he yanked Neji's head back by the hair. "Boy's furious. Probably didn't expect a little thing like mud to stop his 'all seeing eyes'. You know, Hyuuga-boy, you really should have been careful not to step in that puddle when you finished signing your consent forms. That's an old family jutsu of mine. A little chemical marker in the water and I can track you for miles. Isn't that amazing?" He laughed again, an overly loud grating noise.

Apparently his squad-mate found him about as amusing as they did. "Oi, super villain, save the monologue for later." The thin one in the kasa - Abe - said irritably. "Find out which one's the package so we can get the hell out of here before anyone comes to see what all the chaos was about. You really need to find a quieter way to ambush someone, Uoya."

Uoya shrugged with the arm not supporting the weight of the kunai launcher. "My way seems to work fine."

"Amen to that." The third Genin whooped as he hopped off the branch and began searching them. "I don't suppose you'll help us out here and tell us which one o' you has the mark?" He asked as he searched Lee.

"No." the boy said coolly as he stared at the heavy launcher aimed at his face.

"Hmm, pity." he said as he cut Lee's arm wraps free.

Naruko was silently analysing their predicament. The water-ropes binding them only held their upper bodies and arms to curve of the branch, leaving their legs free. That was better than nothing, but still not very helpful. The bindings looked deceptively fragile, but pulling at them felt like bands of steel cable had wrapped around her arm. She tried instead to slip one hand free while the Ame Genin were busy searching her squad-mates.

"No point in that." The teen searching them said. Naruko started as the thin, rectangular barrel of the kunai launcher swung in her direction. She hadn't even seen him look up. "I'm a suiton specialist, my sweet." he said with a smile. "And a rather gifted one at that. I can monitor your heart rate through those water-ropes so I'll obviously know when someone's trying to slip an arm loose. Please don't, otherwise I'm going to have to smack you one."

"Hurry it up." Abe ordered as he scanned the tree line ahead, watching for anyone coming to investigate the noise.

"He's not it." The boy turned from Lee to Neji. "What about you, pretty-eyes? You got anything for me? Oi! There'll none of that!" Neji had tried to kick him. The Ame Genin sat grabbed his legs and sat on them to keep them still. With a wicked grin he slashed open the wraps covering Neji's right arm, leaving a long, angry red scratch behind.

The situation was looking more an more hopeless by the second. Any moment now they were going to find out which one of them had the mark and then they'd most likely kill the two who didn't. The Ame squad's ambush had worked perfectly. Squad 9 were caught, plain as day. Their minds were racing, each trying to come up with a way out of this. They all came up empty. The more they thought the more they were coming to realise that there was a very good chance they wouldn't be getting out of this.

They were all battle-hyped. Adrenaline was coursing through them, heightening their perception and awareness, but Naruko didn't think any of them were quite prepared for what happened next.

The ursid stood a four meters tall, though that height could balloon almost double when it rose up on its hind legs. Weighing anywhere between five and six tonnes, it was a living death machine comprised of rolling black pelt, steel-sharp claws and enormous physical power.

It stepped out of the tall brush, propelled into a gallop and with a roar that seemed to shake the forest, leapt into the air, bringing poor Abe down.

Abe, wise and loyal Genin of Amegakure, screamed as he was destroyed. He screamed for much longer than Naruko would have thought possible given the spurting chunks of meat the bear was tearing away, but to her he screamed until he was a shredded ribcage being shaken in the bloody ferns.

With a roar of outrage, Uoya brought his chattering kunai launcher to bear on the massive predator.

"Push!" Naruko screamed to her stunned squad-mates.

They snapped out of it quickly. It was a blessing that the suiton jutsu left their legs unbound or else they would have been prime targets for the ursid's hunger. Bracing their backs against the fallen branch they dug their heels into the soil and pushed back. There was a heavy crunch as the branch tore away from the moss that had overgrown it. Great gouts of the underbrush were torn up as they shoved away from the slaughter. They managed to get several feet clear when their progress was abruptly blocked by one of the forest's mega-trees.

The ursid might have been content to worry the scraps of Abe's carcass for a few more minutes, buying them precious time, had Uoya's not provoked it. The great beast gave a strangled moan of pain as the Genin's heavy fire bit into its flank. Roaring in fury it lashed out with one of its broad paws, four-inch claws glinting in the half-light. There was a wet crunch and red splattered the forest. His weapon still firing spasmodically, Uoya's flew through the air, his intestinal organs spilling from the gaping hole where his legs used to be.

Only when it turned to face them did Naruko get her first good look at the monster.

It was an intimidating sight. It's wide, short-snouted head rested low between its broad shoulders. It's mouth, running with the blood of the teens it had just killed, was framed by two elongated sabre-like canines that protruded over its lower lip and reached well past its jaw, and the fur of its face was a striking white, contrasting sharply with the inky black pelt that covered the rest of it. Its eyes were two glittering balls of black, gleaming with animalistic intelligence.

The Great-Tusked Ursid. A predator among predators.

The mighty animal shook its head, gave a great huff, and with a low growl that rumbled up in its cavernous throat, began to charge.

"We're dead! We're dead! We're so dead!" Lee muttered to himself.

Panicking now, Naruko tried to push the branch back, but the damn tree was blocking them. Lee, being on the other side of Neji and furthest from her, yelped as his end of the branch was pushed closer to the charging carnivore.

Inspiration struck Naruko with all the sudden brightness of one of Gai's smiles. "Lee! Neji! Legs up!"

The two boys were far too terrified out of their minds to question her, but managed to curl in on themselves.

Naruko waited until just the right moment. It had to be timed perfectly. Lee was still screaming and Neji was struggling futilely against his bonds, shouting in rage and denial.

With a bellow that thumped the air and shook their diaphragms, the ursid sped into a full run and pounced.

With her own bellow Naruko dug her heels into the dirt and shoved back with all the strength she could muster.

Lee shrieked as his end of the branch suddenly flew forward. The heavy end of the branch, still blackened from where it had been broken from its tree so long ago, swung up to meet the beast mid-leap. Like a well-delivered right hook, ancient wood met the inch-thick armour-like plate of the ursid's skull with an agonizing crack that echoed through the spacious woodland. Groaning and stunned, the ursid stumbled and fell on its side, clutching its wounded head.

The suiton jutsu which had held them broke with the impact of the branch hitting the ground. Lee and Neji were flung free and landed in the bushes, narrowly missing a growth of leech-buds that would have drained their blood in seconds and left them withered husks. Lee quickly leaped to his feet. Naruko was stuck beneath the weight of the branch. "Naruko!"

"Go!" she yelled as she pulled herself free. "I'll be right behind you!"

She gasped as something heavy landed on the branch, almost crushing her beneath its weight. She twisted. Its front paws pressing down on the branch, the ursid gazed down her hungrily. One of its tusks was missing, obviously snapped off when she hit it with the branch.

It tried to bite her. Wildly, and more than a bit stupidly, she punched it right in the face. It felt like punching one of the carvings on the Hokage Monument and had about the same effect. The usrid's head pulled back, more out of surprise than pain. It stared at her for a second it what looked startlingly like amusement before it tried to bite her again when they were both doused in cold water.

It was the third Ame Genin, the one who's name she didn't know. The abrupt and violent loss off his squad, coupled with the terror he must have been feeling, had driven sanity from his mind. Grief and fury powered him.

His hands forming symbols, the canister slung across his back ruptured and exploded outward with brutal force, expelling far more water than such a little container should have held. The torrent was swirling around him, churning itself into white foam. He was screaming mindless curses.

Another geyser hit the creature's flank, almost knocking it over and tearing a large chunk out of the beast's flesh and staining the spray pink with blood. Infuriated now, the ursid abandoned her and turned on its new prey.

Naruko wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Coughing, spluttering and drenched to the bone, she scrambled out from under the branch. She wasted no time and began to run in the direction her squad-mates had gone, her limbs pumping furiously as she willed her legs to carry her faster.

In the glade behind her she could hear the two still locked in their death struggle. The hungry snarls of the ursid and the demented howls of the boy seemed to chase her through the forest. She didn't know which sound haunted her more.

* * *

Hours later when night had fallen they managed to find shelter between a formation of rock. It extended over their heads like a natural dolmen and allowed them to get a discrete fire-pit going without fear of the light being noticed. Somewhere out in the dark Neji was on first watch. They had camouflaged the entrances, set up a perimeter and hunkered down for the night.

The night air was chill and biting. The incessant chattering of nocturnal creatures filled the ambience.

Her knees drawn to her chin, Naruko stared at the embers in the pit dance as they slowly consumed the paper they used for kindling. She had dried off and swapped out her soaked fatigues for fresh ones and the few scrapes she'd taken in the battle had been tended to. The harness bearing her kit lay beside her. She was lucky. Nothing had been lost or damaged.

Lying on his side on his bedroll, his elbow propping him up, Lee stared at his squad-mate, his bushy black brows drawn together in concern. Ever since she had caught up with them she had been silent, barely saying a word beyond the occasional grunt or one-word answers. Not that it was much different from her usual demeanour.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Hmm?" She jerked out of the trance she was in and looked at him. "What?"

"I said are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"It's just, you seem…"

"Seem what?"

He blew out a breath. "Quiet. You haven't said much since you came back."

"Do I ever say much?"

"No." he chuckled softly. "No, I've long since resigned myself to being coupled with two of the most introverted people in the village, though it does come with some strange benefits. I, for instance, like to believe I've become something of a specialist on silences."

A red eyebrow arched. "You?" The scepticism in her voice was tinged with amusement.

"Of course." he said in mock offence. Then he became serious again. "But I do know enough to know when something's wrong with one of you two. Neji could tell as well, though obviously he'd never say anything."

She snorted derisively and played with the hem of her trouser leg. "No, he wouldn't."

"You want to talk about it?"

"What are you, my psychiatrist?

"No, I'm your friend."

The sudden unexpectedness of the statement hit her like a punch in the gut. That was the first time anyone had ever said those words to her. It knocked her off balance just enough and she found the words tumbling out between her lips before she could stop them. "I've never seen anyone die before."

Lee just watched her, silently waiting for her to continue.

Had she been in her usual mindset she probably would have stopped there, but the stress of the day prompted her to keep talking. She needed to get the weight off her shoulders. "I knew I'd probably see it eventually, but…there was so much_ blood_. I can't get the image of that kid getting mauled out of my head. It keep playing over and over like some kind of bad dream I can't wake up from. And the screams…my ears are still ringing from them."

She didn't look at him. She kept her gaze focused on the space between her feet, fearful of the pity she'd see in his eyes.

Lee heaved a sigh heavy with understanding. He was idly tracing caricatures into the dirt with his finger. Sneaking a peek, she had to smile softly as one of the characters bore an uncanny resemblance to their sensei, beaming grin and all.

For several minutes the only sound in the shelter was the soft crackling of the fire and the sounds of the forest outside. Her eyelids gradually became heavy and she stifled a yawn. She had almost dozed off when Lee began to speak.

"Last year," he began slowly, "We; sensei, Neji and I, went out on a job. It had to have been what, two months after we graduated? Yeah, that's about right. We had just lost our original fourth. She couldn't hack the PT and requested to be reassigned to a less arduous assignment. Sensei let her go. Anyway, it was the first time it would be just the three of us. A little mountain village not to far from Konoshi had asked for our help."

Naruko listened to his tale, though she didn't know where he was going with it. "What with?"

"Nothing exciting. A rockslide had blocked a few of their goat paths and they needed help shifting some of the larger boulders. It was decided that since the risk was minimal a Genin squad would be sufficient to deal with it and they handed it to us."

Lee's scratching of Gai was complete. Bellow it he began to trace a figure with long hair and pupil-less eyes. "We arrived within a day or so. To tell you the truth we weren't really needed much. The village had put together a volunteer group to help with the clearing. A guy named Morri was organising them. He was a typical village kid: twenty years old, a herder, a girlfriend bringing him water when he was thirsty. Completely boring in every way." He laughed as he added a spiral-leaf to drawing-Neji's headband, "The guy was hilarious though. Had a wit faster than any of sensei's punches. Neji was his favourite target. You would have wet yourself with laughter if you heard half the stuff he said; I know I nearly did."

He sighed and continued with his story. "With the villager's help we cleared the paths quickly enough. It looked like we'd get home by the end of the week. Everybody was in high spirits. Then…"

His finger had stopped scratching in the dirt. Naruko twisted her neck to see his face. His normally bulging eyes were dull and lacklustre.

"Lee?" she prodded gently.

He just shook his head and kept talking. His finger began to move again. "The area was more unstable than we'd thought. There was another seismic event; not as strong as the first, but it was enough to cause another rockslide. We all scrambled to get out of the way. Morri was just ahead of me. He turned and shouted something, but just as he did a rock caught him in the side of the head." He made a motion of something striking his head. Naruko winced.

"He was dead instantly. I could only huddle amongst the bigger boulders we hadn't shifted yet and wait it out. It didn't last long, but the damage had already been done. Three villagers, that's including Morri, died. It wasn't much fun after that. The squad cleared out the rest of boulders alone. We stayed only long enough to pay our respects at the funerals and left right after."

He groaned and dragged his hand through his sweat-matted bowl-cut. He looked suddenly very tired and not unlike his usual Youthful self. "I had nightmares for weeks after that. About me walking through Konoha with rocks raining from the sky and splitting people's heads open just like they split Morri's open. I kept screaming, trying to warn everybody, but no matter how much I screamed nothing would come out. It got so bad at one point that it began to effect my training. But, eventually, with time and help from Gai-sensei, I managed to move past it."

Naruko frowned. "Is this your way of telling me to get over it?"

He chuckled and sent her a bemused yet kind smile. "No." he said as he added a third face to his dirt sketch of Squad 9. "I still dream of the day Morri died and I doubt that last image of him will ever completely go away, just like I doubt you'll ever forget poor Abe or those other two Genin who died. Things like that never completely go away. But think of it this way: maybe that ursid saved our lives today? Maybe those Genin would have killed the two of us who didn't have the mark and took the one who did hostage? Maybe the thought never crossed their minds and they were just going to leave us tied to that branch? And maybe if he hadn't died on that goat path Morri would have lived to be a hundred years old with an army of grandchildren, or he would have slipped and fell to his death one day while herding his livestock?"

"What's your point, Lee?"

"My point is that despite all our powers, all our abilities and skills, one of the few things we shinobi cannot do is change the past. Tragedies happen. Accidents happen. You will see pain, heartbreak, and yes, even death in this job. You'll see things that would break most men and will break you if you let them. But, with time, the memories will fade and the pain will pass. You'll never completely forget those experiences, but eventually they'll stop being the weights that shackle you to the past and become the shield that allows you to withstand the uncertainty of the future."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Naruko asked scornfully. Lee's speech had knocked her around mentally, leaving her dazed, confused and a little angry. The Youthful little bastard seemed to know just what to say to play havoc with her emotions.

"It's easy. You learn to open up. Let people in and accept help every once in a while. That's what we're here for."

Ice-blue eyes narrowed. "And why would you help me? Someone you've known barely six months?"

He gave her one of those big beaming smiles of his. "Because that's what friends do."

Just like that all of her anger drained from her, taking all the other bad feelings with it with such speed that it left her feeling a little light-headed.

She opened her mouth to say something - anything - but the words wouldn't come. Her throat felt strangely choked up and there was an odd fluttering sensation in her chest. A prickling sensation stung the corners of her eyes. "Lee…I…"

He tossed her another smile, softer this time, and threw in a wink. "Get some sleep, Naruko. You look like you need it. I'll wake you up when your watch starts."

With that he rolled over and flumped down onto his bedroll, wriggling around for a few seconds before falling still.

Naruko stared at his back, watching his shoulders rise and fall with every shallow breath. Then they fell upon the doodles he'd been carving into the floor with his fingers.

There was Gai alright, in all his Youthful glory. Bellow him was Neji. The caricature's stern expression was a hilarious mirror image of the one worn by its living counterpart. To its left was Lee's self-portrait into which the young Green Beast had incorporated his famous 'good guy' pose, and to its right was a scratching of a girl who's short choppy hair was held back by a bandana. Crooked whiskers adorned her cheeks and she bore an expression eerily similar to the one worn by Neji's representation. Genin Squad 9 in dirt-art form.

She turned away and flopped down onto her own bedroll. His little spiel was one thing, but she refused to let Lee's less-than-stellar artistic skills to entice any kind of sissy girl reaction out of her. She didn't care for the accusations of anyone who might have seen her surreptitiously wipe her eyes. She was not crying; her eyes were sweating, an understandable side-effect of the day's toils.

She stared at the dim firelight flickering on the rocks for a while before she let her eyes fall shut with an exhausted sigh.

One day down, six more to go. She only wondered what other horrors they would have to endure before this test was over.

* * *

**A/N: I despise this chapter with the fiery ass-burning passion of a thousand Saturday night takeaways. This is just a small rundown of some of the things I went through to try and get this damn thing right, and I'm STILL not happy with how it turned out:**

**TWENTY-ONE different drafts which total in at up to several hundred thousand words of abandoned work. Three different proctors. Four variations of the test. Numerous structural problems. An inability to make the fight scenes interesting.**

**There's more but I won't bore you here. I'll just shut up and get to writing the next chapter.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The kunai launcher was inspired by the weapons wielded by the Sky Ninja in the movie Bonds. This is just one of a few slightly more modern weapons I want to incorporate into the story. My goal is to make war in this Narutoverse more fast paced and realistic than in the anime or manga. You probably saw a few of early my modernisation attempts in the Otafuku Gai arc.**

**Don't worry though. Naruko's not going to suddenly bust out with a Bren light-machinegun, tearing ass through an Akatsuki base on the back of a vintage Harley (Though admittedly that would be pretty sweet to write.). Picture a more medieval level of warfare intermixed with a few semi-modern warfare and fantasy elements. Remember, the ancient Greeks had flamethrowers and nations have been using mortars to hurl their balls into the faces of their enemy since the 1400's (lmao!). TV's are not an everyday household item, and most people will listen to the radio for the day's entertainment. My goal is to keep to the traditional Naruto-style shinobi story while throwing in a few ideas of my own to spice things up. I especially can't wait to hear what you have to say about how I organise the shinobi army which you should see at the end/just after the Chuunin Exams. I put a lot of hard work into it and I hope it pays off.**

**Oh, and once again I apologise for the unoriginality of this test. As I mentioned above things have not been so great here and my creativity had been a bit stunted. I assure you though that after the Chuunin Exam arc this story will be completely AU. Hopefully my ideas for spicing up what I have will keep you interested in the time being.**

Mini-disclaimer: the scene with the ursid was greatly inspired by a scene in Dan Abnett's amazing Eisenhorn trilogy.

Remember, read and review!


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